St. Mellitus

Introduction

The parish of Saint Mellitus in Tollington Park, London, within the Archdiocese of Westminster, traces its roots back to 1925.

History

The parish moved from a makeshift chapel on Everleigh Street to St Mellitus church on 8 December 1959. The church needed to be adapted for Catholic liturgy, including moving the pulpit and organ from the centre of the sanctuary, with the organ moved upstairs.

The Irish Chaplaincy took responsibility for the parish between 1990 and 2000. A celebratory Mass on 8 December 2019 marked 60 years of Catholic faith, worship and community in the church building.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is of yellow brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings, with a roof obscured by a parapet. The interior is a single galleried space with an aedicule at the east end of giant Corinthian columns in antis, supporting an entablature with dentil and modillion cornice. The ancillary building to the east end, which serves as the presbytery, is possibly of a date with the church. The church has two wrought iron scrolled lamp pendants between the west entrances and lamp standards with elaborate columns to walls flanking the steps up to the portico.

The church has a curved gallery carried on cast-iron Corinthian columns with elaborate ironwork to the balcony, and a panelled roof coved to the centre. The church has wrought-iron lighting pendants of late C19 date. The portico frames three flat-arched entrances with moulded stone architraves, consoles carrying segmental pediments, and panelled doors of original design. The first bay of the return is detailed like the outer bays of the front, while the rest of the Evershot Road return has giant Doric pilasters with two tiers of windows with moulded stone architraves and keystones.