St George's Garrison Church, Woolwich facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids St George's Garrison Church
View from Woolwich New Road
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OS grid reference	TQ4334678286
Location	Woolwich, London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	stgeorgeswoolwich.org
History
Status	Ruined church
Founder(s)	Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea
Dedication	Saint George
Architecture
Functional status	War memorial
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	8 June 1973
Architect(s)	Thomas Henry Wyatt (assisted by Matthew Digby Wyatt)
Style	Romanesque-Byzantine Revival
Completed	1863
Closed	14 July 1944 (hit by bomb)

St George's Garrison Church is a ruined church located in Woolwich, South East London. It was built between 1862 and 1863. This church served as a place of worship for the soldiers of the Royal Artillery garrison (a military base) in Woolwich.

Sadly, the church was hit by a V-1 flying bomb (a type of missile) in 1944 during World War II. This caused a large fire that destroyed most of its inside. Today, the church is a restored ruin. It has a special canopied roof, colorful brick walls, and beautiful mosaics. It also features a peaceful memorial garden. You can visit this historic site on Sundays.

Where is St George's Church Located?
The History of St George's Garrison Church
- How the Church Was Built and Decorated
- Destruction and Restoration of the Church
The Architecture of St George's Church
A Place of Remembrance
See also

Where is St George's Church Located?

The church stands on a triangle-shaped piece of land. This land is between Grand Depot Road and Woolwich New Road. Its main entrance faces the parade ground of the Royal Artillery Barracks. The church is surrounded by a small, calm park.

At the southern end of this park, where the two roads meet, you'll find a memorial. This memorial honors those who fought in the Second Boer War. Both the church and the memorial are part of the Woolwich Common conservation area.

The History of St George's Garrison Church

How the Church Was Built and Decorated

Before St George's, the Royal Artillery had a smaller chapel. This chapel was built in 1808 inside the Royal Artillery Barracks. After the new church was finished, the old chapel became a theater.

Church interior shown in The Illustrated London News, 1863

The idea for a new, larger church came from Lord Sidney Herbert. He was the Secretary of State for War at the time. The church's design looks a lot like another church in Wilton. That church was designed by T.H. Wyatt. Lord Herbert likely chose the style and the architect.

In Woolwich, T.H. Wyatt worked with his younger brother, Matthew. The Wyatt brothers were chosen partly because their family member, James Wyatt, designed other important buildings nearby. These included the Royal Artillery Barracks and the Royal Military Academy. The brothers designed St George's Church in a mix of Early Christian, Romanesque, and Byzantine styles. The building work was done by George Smith and Co. from Pimlico.

After it was built, the church could hold even more people. Its seating capacity grew from 1,550 to 1,700. Officers from the Royal Artillery helped raise money for stained-glass windows and a church organ. Later, more decorations were added, like mosaics in 1902–03. Many memorials were also placed to remember soldiers who had passed away. A tall stone obelisk was put up south of the church to honor those who died in the Second Boer War.

Destruction and Restoration of the Church

On July 13, 1944, a V-1 flying bomb hit the church. This caused a huge fire that destroyed the entire inside. The outer walls, however, mostly stayed standing. A temporary roof was put up, but the church was no longer needed. A smaller chapel at the Royal Military Academy became the main place of worship.

A single carved stone piece

After World War II, the burned church was left uncared for and damaged by vandals. In 1952, a plan to rebuild it didn't get enough support. In 1970, the upper parts of the walls were taken down. A metal canopy roof was built to cover what was left of the apse (the rounded end of the church). Old photos show that the apse windows and parts of the pulpit were still there in the 1960s.

Also in 1970, a memorial garden was created in the roofless main part of the church. In 1973, the building was given a special "Grade II" listing. This recognized its beautiful Victorian brickwork and its importance as part of a historic military area. It also showed the impact of the bomb attack, which left it in ruins.

In 2011, the church's ownership changed to Heritage of London Trust Operations. Soon after, they received a grant of almost £400,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money helped pay for important repair work, including a larger canopy roof over the eastern end of the church. Since 2016, a local group called the Woolwich Garrison Church Trust has managed the church. They plan to restore the pulpit and put back alabaster panels in the apse that have been kept safe in storage.

The Architecture of St George's Church

What the Outside Looks Like

The outside of the church mostly follows the Romanesque Revival style. It uses many different colors of polychromatic brick, which was popular in the mid-Victorian period. The narthex (entrance area) at the west end has three porches. These porches feature Bath stone columns and carved tops. The two western columns of the central porch are shaped like a four-leaf clover and are made of Aberdeen granite.

The original west front of the church had a large rose window. It was also about four times taller than the part of the narthex that remains today. The church was designed like a big basilica. It had a wide nave (main hall) and narrow aisles (side passages), but almost nothing is left of these. The church never had a tall tower. It only had a small belfry (bell tower) on the roof of the south aisle. The lower parts of the apse and the east ends of the aisles are still quite well-preserved.

West façade
Detail of narthex, barracks in background
From the north west
From the east

What the Inside Looks Like

The inside of the church mixes neo-Romanesque and neo-Byzantine styles. Most of it was destroyed by the fire or by neglect. However, the lower parts of the chancel (the area around the altar) are still very impressive. In the chancel, you can see various architectural details, mosaics, and plaques honoring soldiers. The original altar and the lower part of the pulpit are also still there. The church once had a lot of impressive ironwork inside, but almost none of it remains. Only two damaged corbels (support brackets) are left.

View of the apse
Romanesque altar
View towards the south
Cast-iron corbel

Beautiful Mosaics

The mosaics in the chancel were made in the Salviati workshop in Venice. They were put in place by Burke & Co in 1902-03. The best-preserved parts of the mosaics show old Christian symbols. These include vines with grapes, a peacock, and a phoenix rising from flames.

A small mosaic of the Lamb of God was saved from the rubble. It is now in one of the restrooms in the north-west porch. The largest mosaic shows Saint George and the Dragon in the apse. This one was added a bit later, in 1919-20. It is part of a memorial to Royal Artillery soldiers who received the Victoria Cross.

Arch with damaged mosaics
Vine and peacock
Holy Lamb of God
St George and the Dragon

A Place of Remembrance

St George's has been a memorial church for over a hundred years. Besides the Victoria Cross memorial, several marble plaques are in the apse. These plaques remember artillery soldiers. One of the columns supporting the arch between the chancel and the nave also lists names. These are the names of men who died in military conflicts up until World War II.

A plaque inside the church reminds visitors that it became a memorial garden. This happened after the V1 flying bomb destroyed it in July 1944.

The memorial garden was first created as a lawn in 1970. On the walls of the south and north aisles, you can find copper plaques. These plaques list the names of Royal Artillery men who died in action or from natural causes after World War II. On November 11, 2015, the Royal Borough of Greenwich added another memorial. This memorial highlights Woolwich's history as a military town. It also honors the men and women who served or lived in Woolwich and gave their lives for their country. This includes victims of a bombing in 1974 and Lee Rigby, who was tragically killed in Woolwich in 2013.