Church of the Annunciation, London



Architect
Sir Walter Tapper
Date Built
1912 - 1913
Location
Bryanston Street
Description
This Grade II* listed church occupies a site on Bryanston Street at the corner with Old Quebec Strret not far from Marble Arch.  The church's website says that, "A place of worship has existed on the site of the present church since 1787 when a Chapel of Ease was built by Lord Portman. It was named the Quebec Chapel after the street in which it stood. Whether the street was named after General Wolfe capturing the city of Quebec in 1759 or the defeat of the Americans as they tried to capture Quebec in 1775 is unclear. ..... The inspiration behind the new building was the Revd Bernard Day Douglas Shaw. Walter Tapper (1861-1935) was chosen as the architect. Tapper was an authority on church architecture. He was a Royal Academician, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and President of the Royal Institute of Architects. In 1928 he became Surveyor to the Fabric of Westminster Abbey where he is buried."  The website adds that, "...The Annunciation is a dramatic building in a fascinating and fast changing part of London. Pevsner notes that to enter the Annunciation is to have stumbled upon 'a fragment of a major medieval church'."



The description of the church at the time it was listed said that it featured, "... Red brick with stone dressings, slate roof. Late Gothic Revival with strong vertical emphasis; bold simplicity in balance of blind wall place to windows and restrained use of carved ornament."

The church website says that, "The high altar reredos was designed by Tapper and executed by J.C. Bewsey (1880-1940). Bewsey also designed the stained glass."




"The Rood supporting Christ on the Cross flanked by the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John is in the shape of the rainbow, a symbol of the covenant between God and creation."






The Stations of the Cross are by Alois de Beule of Ghent (1861-1935). They are plaster casts of originals in wood.







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