St. Thomas, Hanwell

I was prompted by the visit to Guildford Cathedral to visit another of Maufe's churches, St. Thomas at Hanwell, in west London. Built at about the time that Maufe won the Guildford competition, winning which must have involved drawings, although construction did not actually start until some time after St. Thomas was finished in 1934. The story seems to be that St. Thomas was, in many ways, a test run for the Cathedral, and a very successful one at that.

The church was in Boston Manor Road, a rather busy suburban road, lined with between the wars suburban houses, much like many of those in and around Epsom, and just up the road from the tube station of the same name. Curious about the name, I looked it up to find at reference 1 that Boston Manor was very old, with records going back to at least the middle of the 12th century. There is still a Boston Manor House, dating from the early 17th century, which I might have found had I turned right out of the station rather than left. Presently under restoration by the people at reference 3. Plus other attractions in the area, so perhaps we will be back. Not least for the River Brent, for which Brentford is named, obvious enough once one has been told.

Back at Epsom, I had managed to get rudely shouted at by a middle aged male cyclist, who thought that I had been about to step out in front of him. I can see why he might have thought that, and I did not hear him (not surprising) and I have no idea now whether I would have glanced his way before stepping out into the road if he had not shouted. In his defense, I find that I can shout much faster than I can ring my bell. More effective too.

Mask wearing patchy on the London platform, much better on the train. Quite good on the two tube rides needed to take me from Wimbledon to Boston Manor.

A new to me brand of paving slab, but the chap at reference 7 clearly knows all about them. Presumably the right to have paved advertisements of this sort was built into the price and the associated conditions of sale. The nearest I can think to it this afternoon are the rather ecclesiastical crosses carved into some of the kerb stones in and around the Wigmore Hall, an example of which can be seen at reference 8.

The carving to the east window being the work of Eric Gill, noticed in these pages from time to time. To my mind, like a lot of his architectural sculpture, good on tone and composition, but ugly in detail; ugly in a way that his drawings and woodcuts mostly are not. 

The church was shut up when I arrived, but the pensioner gardening team thought it would be OK if I knocked on the door of the vicarage adjacent, and so it turned out to be. The Vicar - no group practise here - was good enough to lend me his large bunch of keys.

There was no-one else in the church, but it seemed wrong to move all the art work so that I could lift the lid of this handsome looking brown wood piano and find out the name of the maker, so no score.

The church was a little shabby and did not have the look of a busy place, even by today's standards, but it was, nevertheless, a very handsome space. The reredos, the stations of the cross and the unusual pendant light fittings (possibly from Heal's, once of Tottenham Court Road) looked very well against the austere whites and grays. The handsome reredos and some of the other furnishings came from St. James of Portman Square, demolished to pay for this church, and of which I can presently find no trace. Unusual to have such prominent stations of the cross in an Anglican church, but they look well here.

A view down the north aisle. Nothing like as high as those at Guildford, but a similar idea nonetheless.

Unusual carving underneath the organ loft. Another of Maufe's Arts & Crafts friends.

A closer shot of the reredos. It really looked very well.

As it happens, a crucifix very similar to that noticed at Guildford. Perhaps they are both the gifts of people from east or central Europe.

The quiet and decent lady chapel. A good place for private prayer or reflection. A sanctuary from the busy world outside. Sanctuary light - to the left of the altar - not lit. Catholic churches and synagogues perhaps more careful about that.

Curious marks in the floor. Which one of the gardeners explained was linoleum rather than stone, or more precisely Ruboleum, very thick but not hard enough not be marked by the legs of chairs and the shoes of ladies. Perhaps particularly in hot weather.

He then told me that the church helped to make ends meet by letting out the belfry to telephone companies for their aerials. To which end the original belfry windows had to be replaced, as the old oak ones interfered with the signals. And it was awkward to open and shut the new ones without getting toasted by the microwaves.

And explained about the acoustic plaster applied to the roof of the nave, the same as was to be used at Guilford, expensively removed a few years ago.

Sadly, the church hall adjacent (to the right in the snap above) looked to be in rather poor condition. I dare say it was as much as they could do to keep the church in decent condition.

But a fine church. Mr Maufe knew his business.

No bacon sandwich to be had in the Italian flavoured coffee bar near the tube station, nor even, as I recall, any tea. So back to Wimbledon to see what I could find there. On the way to which, the train to Earl's Court was very crowded with people from Heathrow, a lot of whom were not bothering with masks. And no-one offered me a seat either, which they usually do in central London. Not that I am complaining as I usually, but not always, decline.

While at Wimbledon I found, contrary to the BH allegation, that the New Wimbledon Theatre did have its drum and spire on top of its dome. Maybe it got knocked off during the war, and she had seen an old picture, taken before they put it back on again.

And for lunch I came across a new-to-me establishment called 'Dip and Flip' of reference 5, where they were very keen on gravy and where I got a very decent - if rather messy - hot beef sandwich. Not something one can get very often these days. Even the bread was respectable.

One of the other customers had a very large electric scooter, painted in a dingy yellow. The owner said it was good for 50mph so I can only hope that he stuck to the roads. He might annoy car drivers but he is not going to run them down.

Perhaps a shabby yellow version of this one turned up by Bing.

And then I was reminded outside the shopping arcade by Wimbledon station of the ugly public art there - a pair of rather dumpy & grumpy girls, perhaps in dark brown bronze.

Passed, on this occasion, on the platform library at Raynes Park, not having digested my last haul yet.

References

Reference 1: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol7/pp123-128. 

Reference 2: https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20174/heritage_and_arts/1855/historic_houses.

Reference 3: https://www.desertoak.co.uk/project/boston-manor-house-brentford/.

Reference 4a: http://www.thomashanwell.org.uk/. 

Reference 4b: http://www.stthomashanwellchurch.org.uk/media/resources/st_thomas_hanwell_guide_revised.pdf. Lots of information about the church and its building is to be found here.

Reference 5: https://www.dipandflip.co.uk/.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/08/home-via-guildford.html.

Reference 7: https://otheraberdeen.blogspot.com/2010/08/aberdeen-adamant.html.

Reference 8: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/06/bentinck-street.html.