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Changes to the designs for the #BaroqueInterior inside #StMaryLeStrand were triggered by the change of #RoyalHouse when #QueenAnne, who was the last in the line of Stuart monarchs, died in 1714. The #HouseOfStuart favoured the extravagant Catholic #Baroque style, whereas the new incoming #HouseOfHanover favoured a more restrained #Presbyterian #Palladian style.
In Source: Inside #StMaryLeStrand
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Have you noticed there are no windows on ground level? Architect #JamesGibbs noted that noise generated by the horse drawn carriages in the heart of the Greater London Metropolis would be a problem, so he fitted #StMaryLeStrand with #ChurchWindows on the upper level of the #Nave only, to stop street noise entering the church. This #BaroqueInterior is beautiful & also practical!
In Source: Inside #StMaryLeStrand
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1802, a stone urn atop #StMaryLeStrand fell, killing 3 men & injuring others. To watch the Heralds March & announce the #TreatyOfAmiens a man leant on the urn & caused it to accidentally fall. In fact, the fault was put in motion 100 yrs before when #JamesGibbs workmen mounted the urn on a wooden spike that rotted over time, instead of iron. #HiddenHistory #PeopleOfTheStrand
In Source: Inside #StMaryLeStrand
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During the construction of #StMaryLeStrand, the #ApseWindows were made of clear glass, which was typical for churches of the time. However, it was during the #Regency era, shortly after the #Neoclassical movement exemplified by late #GeorgianArchitecture, that the #Apse Windows were replaced with painted glass, rendered in brown & yellow tones, depicting images of #ThePassion.
In Source: Apse Windows
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Heaton, Butler & Bayne replaced the #ApseWindows in the 1860s with intricate stained glass. The central window depicted the Crucifixion but this was damaged by a nearby bomb blast during the #LondonBlitz of #WW2. All of the windows were subsequently replaced in 1946 with designs created by #SidneyToy FRIBA. It’s hard to imagine #StMaryLeStrand without its striking blue windows.
In Source: Apse Windows
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Look up & consider the mastery of the #PlasterworkCeiling inside #StMaryLeStrand, showcasing intricate craftsmanship typically associated with #Georgian & #Victorian eras. In comparison, a very different #Gothic ceiling is in #WestminsterHall which has a #HammerbeamRoof. An exquisite example of a double hammerbeam roof, 1 of only 4 in the world, can be found in #MiddleTemple.
In Source: Inside #StMaryLeStrand
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Inspired by #JamesGibbs personal observations of #RomanArchitecture, Italy & elements of #LondonArchitecture, #StMaryLeStrand was constructed from #PortlandStone & consecrated in 1724 by Bishop #EdmundGibson. The #JewelintheStrand was the 1st church to be built under a Commission for 50 new churches - when only 12 were actually completed - at a cost of £16000. #HiddenHistory
In Source: Inside #StMaryLeStrand
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Surviving plans by #RJWithers show how the #BaroqueInterior of #StMaryLeStrand was radically changed in 1871 to enhance the #Chancel area & reconstruct the interior. Following in the #OxfordMovement High-Church tradition the #Tractarians wanted to restore catholic tradition within the Anglican Church, to emphasise the taking of the sacrament. #HiddenHistory
In Source: Oxford Movement
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Apart from the theological & liturgical reform, the #OxfordMovement made significant changes to the arrangement & decoration of the #BaroqueInterior inside #StMaryLeStrand which included: an extended & raised #Chancel; new choir stalls; a screen to the #Apse; new #BoxPew ends that were moved to create side aisles; & black terracotta tiles to replace the floor. #HiddenHistory
In Source: Oxford Movement
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The #OxfordMovement promoted the study of #ChurchMusic & a revival of ancient music, in an attempt to make it devotional. In 1862, a new organ by Messrs Hunter & Webb was set up in #StMaryLeStrand, with a pulpit that sat alongside a new sturdy altar rail. Today, the church is praised for its sensory experience & it invites you to celebrate music together #HiddenHistory
In Source: Oxford Movement
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The #HouseofStuart ruled England, Scotland & Ireland from 1603 to 1714, the #RoyalHouse began with the accession of James VI of Scotland, when he was crowned #KingJamesI after the death of #QueenElizabethI in 1603. With flourishing court culture significant changes occurred, inc. the #EnglishCivilWar, the execution of #KingCharlesI, the #GloriousRevolution & the #ActofUnion.
In Source: Royal #HouseofStuart
A #HouseOfStuart church in #StuartLondon was typically influenced by #Gothic #Architecture the #Renaissance & #Jacobean extravagance. Craftsmen embellished fine woodwork with ornate decorative mouldings to add drama to interiors e.g. #HammerbeamRoof. Yet, the new fashion, initiated by #InigoJones, swept away the picturesque Gothic in favour of a disciplined #Palladian symmetry.
In Source: Royal #HouseofStuart
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Born 1665, #QueenAnne was Queen of England, Scotland & Ireland from 1702 until her death in 1714. Her father was catholic but she was raised Anglican. During her distinguished reign she oversaw the #ActOfUnion in 1707, a treaty which united England & Scotland under a single #Parliament of Great Britain, starting the modern #UnitedKingdom we know today #RoyalHouse #HouseOfStuart
In Source: Queen Anne
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#QueenAnne was a patron of the arts, with interests in #Theatre, #Music, #Poetry & #DecorativeArts, her reign saw a period of great change. Marked by the transition from the formal #Baroque to the relaxed aesthetic of the #Palladian style, #QueenAnneArchitecture & #QueenAnneFurniture emerged in her name, as the design style #BritishBaroque of the #QueenAnneRevival period.
In Source: Queen Anne
#QueenAnne supported the construction of several important buildings inc. #BlenheimPalace, the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England. The most famous example of #QueenAnneArchitecture in London is the #RoyalHospitalChelsea by Sir #ChristopherWren. Completed in 1692, it is renowned for its redbrick façade, symmetrical composition & restrained ornamentation.
In Source: Queen Anne
1670, taxes on coal entering #StuartLondon were used to fund the reconstruction of #StPaulsCathedral after its destruction in the #GreatFireOfLondon. #QueenAnne reinstated this tax to finance the construction of new churches, inc. #StMaryLeStrand. The tax on coal was rated at 3 shillings per chaldron & was as unfavourable as tax on bread. #HiddenHistory
In Source: Queen Anne
The #HouseofHanover reigned over the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland from 1714 to 1901. A German #RoyalHouse founded by #KingGeorgeI, the dynasty provided six #Hanoverian British monarchs including #KingGeorgeIII who ruled during the #AmericanRevolution, & ending with #QueenVictoria.
In Source: Royal #HouseofHanover
#KingGeorgeI, Elector of the #HouseOfHanover ascended to the British throne in 1714, when the neo-Palladian movement in British #Architecture was emerging. Art patronage played a vital role in royal life as it reflected the values of a #RoyalHouse. Catholic Roman #Baroque architecture was undesirable for the Protestant cause, whereas the #Palladian style was befitting.
In Source: Royal #HouseofHanover
Architect #InigoJones was a champion of #Palladian #Architecture, who was closely associated with the early #HouseOfStuart regime. When the #HouseOfHanover adopted new Palladianism, they formed a legitimate continuity between their #RoyalHouse and that of their Stuart ancestors, bypassing any authority over the Protestant throne from #ThePretender & the #Jacobite movement.
In Source: Royal #HouseofHanover
Propaganda created by the #HouseOfHanover during the adoption of #Palladian #Architecture also distinguished a lineage & an association with the sophisticated #VenetianAristocracy. According to #RoyalHouse annals, the #Hanoverian Dukes were descendants of the #HouseOfEste, said to include #Antenor, the legendary Trojan hero & founder of #Padua - where #AndreaPalladio was born.
In Source: Royal #HouseofHanover
Aided by the 1st complete translation of 4 books on #Architecture by #AndreaPalladio into English in 1716, a new generation of #RoyalHouse architects from the #HouseOfHanover revived Palladio’s vision. #Hanoverian churches in London embraced #Palladian & #Neoclassical styles. Palladian structural clarity, classical proportions & harmony are especially evident in #StMaryLeStrand
In Source: Royal #HouseofHanover
Imagine a colourful #Maypole 30m tall in front of #StMaryLeStrand. Dressed in flowers it was erected for the #PeopleOfTheStrand to celebrate Spring on #MayDay. But angered Puritans called it a Pagan ritual that threatened the morality of common people. They pulled the Maypole down in 1644, after which, all Maypoles were banned until the #EnglishCivilWar ended #HiddenHistory
In Source: Glorious Maypole
A #Maypole once stood at the corner of #FleetStreet & the #Strand. Banned by Puritans a “glorious, bigger & higher” replacement 40m high was built in 1661 by the Blacksmith #JohnClarges after the #EnglishCivilWar. The new maypole was an important landmark & meeting place to socialise & trade goods. Night watchmen from #ScotlandYard met at the maypole for their daily patrol.
In Source: Glorious Maypole
#PeopleOfTheStrand After the #Maypole by #JohnClarges was removed in 1713 another maypole emerged opposite #SomersetHouse where the drinking fountain is now located. In 1717, Sir #IsaacNewton bought the maypole from parishioners to erect it in #WansteadPark as part of the structure that supported a telescope, which was at the time the largest in Europe.
In Source: Glorious Maypole
The #Maypole by #JohnClarges was of extraordinary length & was raised by 12 sailors commanded by #TheOldPretender as it was thought to be too big for landsmen. Reinforced with iron bands, featuring a large hoop around its middle, the Maypole was adorned with a gilded crown & the king’s arms. A ceremony led by 3 men carrying crowns started a musical procession #PeopleOfTheStrand
In Source: Glorious Maypole
Newcastle Street, to the North-East of #StMaryLeStrand was formerly known as Maypole Alley, a name transferred to a narrow court on the junction of Drury Lane & Wych Street, by the #OlympicTheatre. In a twist of fate, #MaypoleAlley was moved to a location where the blacksmith #JohnClarges, who set up the 2nd #Maypole during the #Restoration, had his forge. #PeopleOfTheStrand
In Source: Maypole Alley
#StMaryLeStrand adorns the culturally rich #StrandAldwych area, beckoning all to admire its captivating #Baroque #Architecture. Dare to step inside & unlock the #ArchitecturalGem within its #BaroqueInterior & #ChurchExterior. Loaded with history, beauty & magnificent detail, the church invites you to open your eyes & allow yourself to be visually immersed.
In Source: The Faithful Architect
Architect #JamesGibbs took inspiration for the #ChurchExterior from #Michelangelo & the church #SantaMariaDellaPace by #PietrodaCortona. Upon the death of #QueenAnne, #JamesGibbs was controversially forced to add a #Steeple in the style of Sir #ChristopherWren to #StMaryLeStrand in 1717, using stone intended for the construction of a monument to commemorate the late #QueenAnne.
In Source: The Faithful Architect
Gracing the entrance of #StMaryLeStrand, 2 beautiful #Magnolias shelter a pair of classical #Corinthian columns with #Ionic capitals. Inspired by Italian architecture, circular steps lead up to the domed portico to start a theme for the #ChurchExterior that surrounds the church, featuring columns capped with pilasters & a decorative balustrade with vases on top.
In Source: The Faithful Architect
Observe the many fascinating #BaroqueInterior design details inside #StMaryLeStrand. Follow the light from upper #ChurchWindows through the #Nave to the sanctuary nestled in the #Apse. Framed by #PaintedPanels & ultramarine #ApseWindows look at the #Carvings, #Jacobite Symbolism & Iconography inside the apse & admire the decorative #PlasterworkCeiling in white & gold above.
In Source: Inside #StMaryLeStrand
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From meet-cute to marriage? #CharlesDickens parents, John & Elizabeth, were married at #StMaryLeStrand Church on June 13th 1809. #JohnDickens worked as a clerk in the #RoyalNavy Pay Office at #SomersetHouse & formed a friendship with one of his colleagues #ThomasBarrow. John’s life changed forever when Thomas introduced his lovely sister Elizabeth. #PeopleoftheStrand
In Source: St Mary Le Strand
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