English Martyrs

Introduction

English Martyrs Church in Walworth is built in the Early English Gothic style. The church is built of yellow stock brick with random blue headers, red brick dressings and a blue brick plinth, with a pitched slate roof and slender slated spirelet.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has an asymmetrical rectangular plan with a west elevation on Flint Street, a staircase turret, and a 1-storey Lady Chapel curved extension to the right on Rodney Road. The interior is of red brick with a tall nave of 5 bays with pointed arches, timber rafter roof and lofty side chapels with transverse pointed tunnel vaults. The sanctuary is an east extension of the nave with plastered walls, round blank arcading, 3 cusped lancets above, and a rib-vaulted roof. The chancel arch stands on tall, single round shafts with arrises.

The baptistry, formerly the choir, is at the east end of the south ambulatory. The Lady Chapel extension to the south has a coffered ceiling and recessed windows in bays with splayed reveals and transverse rib vaults. There is an organ gallery at the west end. The altar and reredos were designed by FG Broadbent & Partners in 1961.

The church was re-ordered in the 1980s. Architect FW Tasker designed the church, which was built in 1902-3. The Lady Chapel extension features a gabled entrance with a pointed arch and a moulded red brick surround. The side elevations have groups of three lancet windows in the upper stage only.