St. George’s Bloomsbury

Overview

Location: London, United Kingdom, Europe

St. George’s Bloomsbury in London is distinguished by a steeple inspired by the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in present-day Turkey, and it is topped with a statue of George I.

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St. George’s Bloomsbury

On the official World Monuments Fund Watch List: 2002

Nicholas Hawksmoor, an English baroque architect and a protégé of architect Sir Christopher Wren, built six churches resulting from the 1711 Act of Parliament that required the building of 50 new churches in London. St. George’s Bloomsbury is his most idiosyncratic work, marrying baroque splendor with classical references, and topped by the most eccentric steeple in London. The stepped pyramid of this architectural gem has sculptures of lions and unicorns at its base and a statue of George I at its pinnacle. A celebrated London landmark since its consecration in 1731, it is one of the England’s most important churches.

By the end of 20^th century the church was in an advanced state of disrepair with a thick, black soot crust on the exterior masonry, water literally flowing into the building from defective drains, and many associated structural problems. It was also greatly altered from its original condition; the Victorians had relocated the altar screens and altar, and a 1970s decorative scheme had all but obliterated the original treatment of the interior. After a five-year period of restoration, St. George’s reopened to the public in 2006. Today it is a thriving parish church and a center for concerts, art and education.

With its genesis in the political and social upheavals of the early 18^th century, St. George’s represents much more than a fine church by one of Britain’s most brilliant architects. Unique treatments of architecture and space were employed to fit a church with a traditional eastern alter onto a site surrounded by domestic dwellings, not enough space for the church, and with much more space going north to south. For the design of the exterior, Hawksmoor borrowed from classical sources to create one of the most grandiose facades in London.