This is The Annunciation and St. Augustine Church in Beckenham Hill, South London. I like the mod architecture! I was going to write, "I wonder what it looks like inside?" But then I Googled and of course there are pictures on the church's web site -- apparently taken by someone who has trouble holding a camera level, even more so than me. The building is from 1964, roughly the same vintage as Coventry Cathedral.
Churches seem to lend themselves to modern architectural experimentation, I suppose because they're such flexible spaces. There's really nothing constraining an architect when they're designing a church; they just need walls and a roof.
I took this on my most recent Green Chain walk, a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping to get out and do another segment today. Sunny weather is expected!
I seem to be rolling with a rather religious theme today, but only incidentally. I found this wooden medallion a few weeks ago near the gates of Hampstead Cemetery. The inscription says, "Jehovah is close to the broken-hearted; he saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Whatever works, I say.
I'm not sure what the rest of this weekend will entail. I have a little more gardening to do and maybe (if I get ambitious) I'll work on our taxes. I'm also thinking more and more about my Florida trip and trying to plan that out. It's just two weeks away, and of course Covid numbers are spiraling upward in the UK, but I'm counting on my immunity from my infection in early February to see me through. Fingers crossed!
I’ll head to NYC Friday and have my fingers crossed (I don’t pray) I pass my COVID test Thursday. The church looks like it was designed in the ’60s. As for the crooked photos, they could have at least straightened them before posting on their official website.
ReplyDeleteI have the same concern about my upcoming trip -- that darned Covid test! I'm sure it will be fine but you can't help thinking "what if...?"
DeleteOff topic but I was reading about the demise of a water sports (settle) venue in Florida hit and pretty well destroyed by Cyclone or Hurricane Andrew in about 1992. Were you there then for the cyclone event? Family affected?
ReplyDeleteI was living in Morocco in 1992 so I missed the Hurricane Andrew drama. My family was still in Florida but they were up in Tampa, which wasn't badly affected.
Delete"There's really nothing constraining an architect when they're designing a church"... Err! What about money? God has a nasty habit of failing to cough up funds when you pray for money. I know because I have tried it in relation to The National Lottery. Maybe I should switch to that other supernatural fellow - Allah.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's true. I'm sure there are always economic considerations!
DeleteI like the Architecture of that Church, it did remind me of the Sixties, a lot of the Mid Century Modern stuff was very Futuristic in it's Design and Aesthetic. Then it seems that the 70's thru 90's ushered in a very Culturally deprived period of Design, I don't know what happened? *LOL*
ReplyDeleteI love mid-century design like this. A lot of architecture of that period is undervalued, it seems to me.
DeleteThat church seems to be influenced by oast houses or something like that, pottery buildings. Interesting design.
ReplyDeleteThose cylinders at the entrance do look something like kilns!
DeleteHmmm, I wonder what The Annunciation and St. Augustine have in common that they would share the naming of one church?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if two parishes merged and kept both names.
DeleteYeah, their web site explains this. I think it was a combination of three churches, actually.
DeleteLike Collette, I wonder about the name. Maybe they couldn't decide between the two and finally said "whatever" and gave it both!
ReplyDeleteHa! It is a rather awkward name, but yeah, it came from the combination of several churches.
DeleteThat church is much more interesting on the outside than inside. As for the medallion, whatever gets you through as long as you don't impose it on others.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I suppose proselytizing on a medallion IS sort of imposing it on others. Or at least offering it to others!
DeleteI am not at all fond at what goes on inside most churches these days, but I find the buildings themselves, old and new and mod or not, quite beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI do too. I would hate to see all churches vanish, and yet I don't have much connection with the spiritual side of it all.
DeleteMy favorite churches are the ones in Mexico. I have never been to the grand ones, like in Mexico City. Only the small ones, some of them with no walls which give everything a lightness that walls cannot, no matter how stained glass filled they may be.
ReplyDeleteThere's a beauty in modesty and practicality, isn't there?
DeleteThe church is interesting, but the tree shadows are truly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou always find cool stuff to photograph.
Yeah, I liked the shadows too!
DeleteSince I have dumped religion, churches sometimes bother me actually. I think of all of the money that has gone into some of these ornate buildings and think it might have been better spent on the poor, hungry and lowly instead.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Robin Andrea pointed out the tree shadows as I hadn't looked closely enough to notice them and they are terrific!
There's always been tension (i.e. the Reformation) within the church between using money for "good works" and using it to glorify God -- which I think is what Catholics would argue all that gilt and finery is for. (At least in this case the building, though unusual, is fairly modest.)
DeleteThe church has a Douglas Cardinal style. Check Cardinal out as he has many famous buildings using curves. There also many copy cats of his style.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I hadn't heard of him!
DeleteDefinitely looks like a '60s church. Schools designed in a similar fashion linger. The schools tended to have dividers that were used to set up class spaces. Teachers and students bemoaned the concept because of the noise from the other classes. I've noticed in my city that all sorts of buildings tend to turn into churches these days. One of the most recent used to be a Wells Fargo Bank.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
My son's highschool was like that, terrible learning environment, teachers talking in competition. The architects evidently knew little about acoustics.
DeleteThe school where I work began that way back in the '70s -- open "pods" with partial walls. Now the classrooms are enclosed because, yeah, apparently the noise was a problem!
DeleteUgh, I don't like '60s buildings although there are tons of them here. Nothing is very old and everything is much too modern. That era of architecture hasn't aged well.
ReplyDeleteI think like most architectural periods there were good and bad structures. I think this one's pretty creative, actually.
DeleteThat is a cool building, remove the representations of torture and you might have a decent art gallery! I would say that this "jehova" person is failing miserably. Hope he does not have tenure. He needs a real job, like clown porn...
ReplyDeleteLOL -- can we fire Jehovah and bring in some new talent?
DeleteTwo inches of snow today. I'm so over it. I'm not thrilled with most contemporary church architecture but you go with what you've got.
ReplyDeleteOh no! This snow business needs to STOP!
DeleteThat church is very nice. I would be inclined to photograph it too. I'll be interested to hear if you got another long walk in today.
ReplyDeleteI did -- two, actually! (Read on!)
DeleteWell I am religious, but that's not what draws me to church architecture. I find great beauty there... from Norman design to modern architecture and everything in-between. I feel the same way about castles.
ReplyDeleteI hope your sunny day panned out!
I agree -- churches tend to be fascinating architecturally. (And inspiring, even if one isn't necessarily religiously inspired!)
DeleteWe loved the painted churches in Germany. They're transcendent, they are so beautiful. But then I think about all the money spent there and not on improving life for the poor and it's hard to justify the outlay.
ReplyDeleteThat's always the issue, isn't it? How to best spend those resources? I suppose the church leaders feel they need ornate or inspiring places to worship to grow their congregations.
DeleteI like the exterior and the interior of this church, the interior is very light and airy. I am religious and drawn to churches and cathedrals, and wrote my thesis on architecture of mosques, they also have lovely interiors.
ReplyDeleteI also like that open interior. The structure reminds me of a crown, which I'm sure is intentional. Yes, mosques can be amazing -- they're usually VERY open and sometimes huge!
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