History

Introduction

• A brief history
• Historical development of the Suburb
• A Concise History
• Growth and Change
• Henrietta Barnett's planning vision
• Unwin's town planning
• Small scale planning
• Town Planning Act
• Central Square Architecture
• St. Jude's and the Free Church
• The Institute

St. Jude’s and the Free Church

The strength of Lutyens’ design for Central Square lies in its bold but simple massing, the striking use of the weight of two identically planned churches balanced either side of a light formally planned garden. The similarity of these churches speaks of their common faith, demonstrated in the inscription above the door to the Free Church “God is larger than the creeds,” while the Anglican spire of St. Jude’s and the Byzantine dome of the Free Church celebrates their differences.

Bold simplicity continues throughout the design of these churches; the counterbalancing of the strong vertical of the spire or cupola and the dramatic horizontal of the roof edge. On top of this Lutyens’ addslayers of detail which manage to emphasis rather than detract from the lines of the design.

The roof line is never broken even when punctured by the multiple dormer windows or by the transept. Instead these punctures are used to create a dramatic change in scale, contrasting the small windows which light the congregation and the large transept window which lights the altar. This grander window cuts an arch out of the transept, making the tower appear to balance over the void of the church below.

So keen was Lutyens to preserve the strength of the silhouette of the church that he designed brick water channels so that guttering would not spoil it.

The power of this silhouette and the attention to detail that drove Lutyens’ design is apparent if you stand on any of the four axial roads around Central Square which are carefully aligned so that you can see through both of the transept widows of the nearby church. This effect is multiplied even further if the Square is viewed from the bench at the top of Temple Fortune Hill, a spectacular view is created by the alignment of both of the Churches and their windows, and you can see straight through both.

The façade design is driven by geometrical devices and the ‘absolutes of the circle and square,’ however these devices were not always successful. The junction between the octagonal plan of the spire and the square plan on which it stands had to be hidden by a parapet, squint hips were necessary to join the octagonal cupola to the drum, and the difficulty of fitting classical details under a steeply pitched roof is evident in some awkward internal junctions.

The Interior of the Free Church is a calm white space, inspired by the simple Tuscan order interiors of Brunelleschi, topped with a barrel vault.

This is in sharp contrast to the brick arches and great timbers of St. Jude’s, where Lutyens combines the Classical with a medieval vernacular of crown and post structures threaded through the brickwork to reinforce the roof purlins. However these only serve to create a restless background when compared to the forceful clarity of the brick piers.

Lutyens had again intended to leave the barrel vault exposed, but the town accepted a gift of frescoes by Walter Starmer which now cover some of the beautifully detailed brick piers and vaults.

It is the precision shown in this both these churches, in the brickwork, in the chevron shaped ornamental lead on the spire, and the slate laid on edge in the steps which add the final level of detail to these churches.

Lutyens' flair for the dramatically simple is evident throughout his design, from the large scale gestures of the spire and roof to the precision of the brick pointing, all of which combine to give these two Churches their presence and strength. As Lutyens said “It conquers the site on which it stands.”