St Andrew's Church, Roker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew's, Roker |
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| 54°55′23″N 1°22′01″W / 54.923°N 1.367°W | |
| Location | Roker, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Andrew |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Designated | 1950 |
| Architect(s) | Edward Schroeder Prior |
| Years built | 1907 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Monkwearmouth |
| Diocese | Durham |
St Andrew's, Roker is a Church of England parish church located in Sunderland, England. It was built between 1905 and 1907. Many people consider it one of the most important churches built in the first half of the 20th century. It is seen as the best work of its architect, Edward Schroeder Prior.
The church shows off Prior's ideas about design and building. He wanted to create a grand and unique building for church services. St Andrew's is a powerful church that doesn't follow any specific old style. Prior's experiments with how buildings are put together, his care for materials, and his building methods all came together perfectly at St Andrew's. The church was given a special heritage status, Grade I, in 1950. This means it's a very important historical building.
Contents
Why the Church Was Built
During the 1800s, the number of people living in Sunderland grew very quickly. By the end of the century, most areas were built up, except for the land around Roker Park. As this area started to develop, there was a clear need for a new church.
In 1903, a group called the Roker and Fulwell New Church Committee was formed to collect money for the church. A local shipbuilder named John Priestman offered £6,000 to help build it. He wanted the church to be a memorial to his mother.
Priestman had some conditions for his generous offer. He wanted the church to be finished by December 31, 1905. He also wanted to approve how the new church would be set up. Plus, he wanted to choose the vicar (the church's priest).
It seemed like Edward Schroeder Prior was meant to be the architect. Many important people connected to Prior were also connected to the church project. John Priestman had strong beliefs about church services. He wanted the church to focus on the spoken word and communion. These ideas greatly influenced Prior's design. Priestman wanted the church to seat 700 people. Most importantly, he wanted everyone in the congregation to have a clear view of the altar and the pulpit. He also wanted excellent sound quality (acoustics) and no screen blocking the view of the altar area.
How the Church Was Designed
The first design plan in January 1905 showed a main hall (nave), side aisles, a choir area, and a square-ended chancel. It also included small side sections (transepts) and porches. This plan would hold 590 people, but Priestman wanted space for 700.
Prior changed the design to fit more people. He added a morning chapel and moved one of the porches. This new plan allowed for 688 people.
The church is on a hill near the sea, which is a windy spot. The availability of stone suggested a strong building style. However, finely cut stone was too expensive. So, St Andrew's was designed using reinforced concrete. Using concrete had a big impact on the design. For example, the main arches in the nave were shaped to make pouring the concrete easier.
The church's main hall (nave) is 52 feet wide. It has an amazing single-span roof with very thick, deep arches. These arches start low down from the massive walls. The chancel, the area around the altar, is narrow and shallow. The nave walls are very thick, about 3 feet 6 inches at the bottom. They get a bit thinner higher up.
The large arches in the nave are like internal supports. They are pierced with openings to create side passages. The weight of the roof is transferred to pairs of columns. These columns have a simple, ancient design, similar to those seen in old churches.
The stone used for the church is local Marsden limestone. It came from a quarry about three miles away. Prior worked with the quarry company to bring back old stone-cutting skills. Prior and his team explored how far they could push the stone's limits. They adjusted the design as they built. The roof is covered with Yorkshire slate.
The inside and outside walls are made of rough, unplastered stone. Only the corners and arch stones are smooth. The chancel walls were originally left with the marks from the concrete molds. Later, an artist named MacDonald Gill painted the chancel according to Prior's ideas.
Outside the Church
A large square tower stands over the chancel. It lines up with the road that leads to the sea. Prior believed that a square tower without a pointy top showed "democratic growth." Placing the tower over the chancel made the main hall and the altar area feel more connected.
The tower has small turrets at each corner that rise into pinnacles above the top edge. There are pairs of round-headed openings on each side of the tower. These openings lead to ventilation shafts that help air move around the altar. The bell openings have special supports called corbels. A round staircase tower on one corner helps support the main tower. The tower serves as a memorial to John Priestman's mother.
The windows are a very important part of the church's look. The nave windows have stone dividers with simple designs. They are also supported by horizontal bars with triangles above them. The small windows in the tower look very old, like those from Saxon times. They have two stones meeting at the top and stick out to form a rain hood. The chancel windows have more complex designs. The windows are made with Prior's special "Early English Glass." The metal bars that hold the glass were made by Priestman's shipbuilding company.
From the outside, the church looks simple and very strong. The nave wall is set back above the window sills. This lets more light into the church. It also makes the building look like it's firmly rooted in the ground. The walls appear much thicker than they are. Supports (buttresses) continue up between the windows. Small roofed pinnacles at the top suggest these supports continue structurally. The top edge (parapet) is high and goes all around the nave and transepts. This makes the building look less tall.
The tower, which is unusually placed over the chancel, has four hexagonal corner towers. Each has two small openings. These corner towers originally had pyramid roofs, but they were removed because of wind damage. Each side of the main tower has a wide, shallow window for the bells. The nave roof seems to continue through the tower.
The porches are simple, sloped structures that form the entrances.
Church Systems
The church's ventilation, heating, and lighting were built right into its structure. Besides the ventilation shafts in the tower, which worked like a chimney, heating shafts were placed inside the concrete walls. These connected to a system under the floor. This system led to a chamber below the chancel, where large radiators were located. A special fan could bring in a huge amount of fresh air every hour.
Inside the Church: Furnishings
Prior brought together many skilled artists and craftspeople to create the church's beautiful fittings. The reredos, which is a decorated screen behind the altar, is a tapestry. It was designed by Edward Burne-Jones and shows "The Adoration of the Magi" (the wise men visiting baby Jesus). This tapestry, along with the chancel carpet, was made by Morris & Co.
Ernest Gimson created many pieces, including the altar rails, the Bishop's chair, the altar, crosses, candlesticks, the pulpit, choir seats, and the lectern (a stand for reading). The church's foundation stone was carved by Eric Gill. After Prior passed away, MacDonald Gill painted the dome over the chancel. His painting shows the days of Creation, based on Prior's original ideas.
The baptistry (where baptisms happen) has a stone font (a basin for holy water) made by Randall Wells. It has carved hexagonal supports and a wooden cover made by Robert (Mouseman) Thompson, famous for his mouse carvings.
The walls of the nave are covered with oak panels up to 7 feet 8 inches high. These wooden boards are of different widths and were fixed with handmade nails.
Henry Payne designed the stained glass for two important windows. The east window shows the Ascension (Jesus going up to heaven). The south transept window shows the Bible verse "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden." In the lower parts of this window, Payne drew figures in clothes from his own time. In the upper parts, angels are shown carrying Christ's cross.
A beautiful set of 10 bells was put in the tower in 1948. They serve as a War Memorial. These bells were made in Croydon by Gillett & Johnston. The largest bell, called the tenor bell, weighs about 2,550 pounds (1,150 kg).
How it Was Built
Unlike most building projects, there wasn't one big contract for St Andrew's. Instead, smaller contracts and estimates were given out as the work progressed. Priestman & Co, John Priestman's shipbuilding company, did some of the work, including all the ironwork and the main doors.
Prior and Randall Wells worked together closely. Wells was the architect who stayed on site. He would send drawings of details to Prior regularly. Prior would then approve or change them. Prior always made sure to give Wells full credit for his work.
The Organ
John Priestman was a talented organ player. He had an organ at his own home. He made sure the church's organ was placed well in the north transept. It was thought to be a Norman & Beard organ, but it was later discovered to be an older Forster and Andrews organ from another church.
Completion and Other Buildings
The church was completely finished on July 17, 1907.
Next to the church, to the west, is a very strong parish hall called The Priestman Hall. It was built in 1928 and has a similar style to the church, though it doesn't have the same unique roof shape. It is also a listed building, Grade II.
A lych gate was added to the southeast corner of the church grounds in 1920. It serves as a War Memorial. This gate, along with the churchyard walls, is also a listed building, Grade II.
