Mile End tube, Westferry DLR and buses 277, D6, D7 and 309 church phone number:020 37746833 church e-mail : church@stpaulsbowcommon.org.uk Churchwardens: Julian Bream j.bream@ulcc.ac.uk Sally Sigmund sallysig@gmail.com
“burningly honest, but not aggressive (...) demure yet full of fun, reverent yet fully light-hearted: the place seems to heal you” Ian Nairns, 1966
St. Paul’s, Bow Common has been described as the ‘most significant church built after the 2nd World War in Britain’
“The only modern building in the London Transport area to reflect any real credit on the Church of England. What a judgement! A compact tough-minded cube of purple bricks, top-lit , in a tough-minded area. Passionate and original to the cross on the dome - but a truly religious originality, not an applied or architectural one. In terms of sincerity, Robert Maguire is a twentieth-century Butterfield and this is our All Saints Margaret Street.
Built in 1960 by Architect Robert Maguire and Designer Keith Murray (RIP 2005), this church is listed Grade II*
The plan is based on a central altar. Inside, columns and light fittings decorously frame what for once really is a holy place - the light fittings off-centre inside the columns, which is tremendously effective. The passages around have saw-toothed roofs which let in light unevenly like a broken prayer. The porch carries vibrant lettering, not confirming to any current cliché, which says: “Truly this is none other but the house of God. This is the Gate of Heaven.” Indeed it is; and what else is there to say?”
St. Paul’s, Bow Common has been described as the ‘most significant church built after the 2nd World War in Britain’ Built in 1960 by Architect Robert Maguire and Designer Keith Murray (RIP 2005), this church is listed Grade II*
“The only modern building in the London Transport area to reflect any real credit on the Church of England. What a judgement! A compact tough-minded cube of purple bricks, top-lit , in a tough-minded area. Passionate and original to the cross on the dome - but a truly religious originality, not an applied or architectural one. In terms of sincerity, Robert Maguire is a twentieth-century Butterfield and this is our All Saints Margaret Street.Issequid eriaeratia exeriora sit ped quodi rest explit libus sa non et ommodit dit verepellam re opta di dolesto reiundita voluptat volorior ma consera verum derum non res maios vent ut fuga. Lores ma cus. Tur ad ma eumet atur abo. Nem imint apiti ut alitiNum quodiaturest faccusdam conetur apiende nus doluptiusam quatur aut min pliquae ctoreperio berit esciliam incti ne vendit atia sit hari occabore nuscius sequias as imi, verit eumquiatem quas nonet veruptatem a que es doles untia sitem harum et lam, omnim adit, conseribus, sum aut quisqui
43 years took the Completion of the Mosaics:
The mosaic cycle of the ‘Heavenly Host’ was an intended and integral part of the church when it was designed by Robert Maguire (architect) and Keith Murray (designer) from 1956 with the Foundation stone laid in December 1958 and the building consecrated and Dedicated on 30th April 1960. The original intention was for Keith Murray to create this work but as this proved not to be possible as Maguire and Murray formed an architectural practice and moved on to other commissions. The work was then given to Charles Lutyens to execute.
19
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“The only modern build port area to reflect any r England. What a judgem A compact tough-minde top-lit , in a tough-minde original to the cross on t religious originality, not one. In terms of sincerity twentieth-century Butter Saints Margaret Street.Is sit ped quodi rest explit dit verepellam re opta d luptat volorior ma conse maios vent ut fuga. Lore Tur ad ma eumet atur ab
950s
arted the New Churches Research radical changes in church design designed by Robert Maguire’s t Paul’s Church, Bow Common
ding in the London Transreal credit on the Church of ment! ed cube of purple bricks, ed area. Passionate and the dome - but a truly an applied or architectural y, Robert Maguire is a rfield and this is our All ssequid eriaeratia exeriora libus sa non et ommodit di dolesto reiundita voera verum derum non res es ma cus. bo. Nem imint apiti ut aliti
“We were trying to build a church which would encourage true relationships in the liturgy – priest to people, people to one another, priest to God and people to God, the worship of the whole Church together. Encourage, but not cause; because it is only people coming together with understanding and faith which bring those relationships to life. ‘ 2010 Robert Maguire Impore res et fugitiunto et apidelitiis sam earchic iisitium imolupt atibus sunt. Pore volupta tibust, velestrum qui tempori cones de consed etur rest fugit rest entium eum quo debitatatiis ditio coribus volumenimo ma
“A compact tough-minded cube of purple bricks, top-lit , in a tough-minded area.”
Charles Lutyens (great-nephew of the famous architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens) began our mosaics at the age of 30. He was already an artist who had exhibited his work but he had never created a mosaic before!
The mosaic cycle of the ‘Heavenly Host’ was an intended and integral part of the church when it was designed by Robert Maguire (architect) and Keith Murray (designer) from 1956 with the Foundation stone laid in December 1958 and the building consecrated and Dedicated on 30th April 1960. The original intention was for Keith Murray to create this work but as this proved not to be possible as Maguire and Murray formed an architectural practice and moved on to other commissions. The work was then given to Charles Lutyens to execute.
As churches go, we are still in our infancy! One of our neighbouring churches in Bow, East London, St.Mary and Holy Trinity, Bow, celebrated its 700th Anniversary of Dedication in 2011. A neighbouring church is the oldest church in East London, St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, tracing its origins back probably to Saxon days. St. Paul’s, Bow Common was preceded by a large Victorian church, built in 1858 with a new parish carved out of the vast extent of St. Dunstan’s parish, but was to last less than 100 years, suffering destruction by bombing in World War II. A radical Vicar found a radical young architect and an equally radical designer and the result was the radical building we now have, conceived from 1956, begun at the end of 1958 and opened for worship at the end of 1959 and consecrated in April 1960. There has not been enough time for much history to have happened in such a ‘young’ church! However, even in this short time, a lot has been happening. For many years it was really known only to those specialists who know about buildings and was regarded with some puzzlement, locally. ‘It’s not like a real church, is it?’ was the