Church of the English Martyrs, Streatham

Introduction

The Church of the English Martyrs in Streatham was built in 1892-4 by A E Purdie in French Gothic style. The church is distinguished by a complete set of Hardman glass, including scenes from the lives of St Thomas More and St John Fisher.

History

A 1962 extension in matching style was added by T Sibthorpe to the ritual north. The roof was painted in the 1950s, a feature planned but not executed originally.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is built of coursed Kentish ragstone rubble with Bath stone dressings and a stone spire. The plan comprises a five bay nave with aisles, three bay chancel, north chapel, south chapels and south west tower. The interior has an arcade with circular columns with stiffleaf capitals and a scissor-braced roof supported on bosses and canopies above statues of Catholic martyrs. The church contains high relief Stations of the Cross with canopies.

The chancel has a painted ribbed roof and an elaborate altar with marble and silver gilt tabernacle door of vulning pelican. The 1962 extension has re-sited original doors, re-sited stained glass from clerestorey and an elaborate late C19 Flemish carved wooden altar re-sited from north chapel. The church has a south west tower of three stages with a broached spire with narrow lucarnes and a metal finial. The top or bell stage of the tower has wooden louvres and three pointed arches to each face.

The second stage of the tower has two lancets and statues of St Anselm and St Thomas of Canterbury. The lowest stage of the tower has a traceried window to the west and an arched doorcase with three tiers of colonnettes. The west end has a large traceried window and a smaller one to the north aisle. The entrance is elaborate with three tiers of colonnettes, the central one with a steep pediment.

The five bay nave has triple trefoil-headed and traceried windows below lancets with trefoil decoration above. The chancel is similar to the nave with a large traceried east window. The interior has arched Confessional doors. The interior has a carved west balcony, screen and front row of the pews.

There is an octagonal font in the south chapel. The north chapel retains decorative bronze Communion Railings re-sited from the main altar.

Parish life

The parish community includes people from over forty nationalities. Two priests minister to the parishioners. The assistant parish priest also looks after four Syro-Malankara missions in Croydon, Ashford, and Southampton, Sussex.