The plaque, mounted within the portico,
reads:
This portico was the
entrance
to the former Unitarian Chapel
erected on this site in
1821
The main body of the chapel
(then in disuse) was demolished
in
1964 and subsequently the
portico was restored by
the Greater London
Council
The portico is a Grade II listed
structure and the entry at the English Heritage website [visit
link] tells us:
"Large portico and part of ground
floor. 1821. Doric hexastyle portico with triglyph frieze and pediment over.
Central door with shouldered architrave and iron gates. Remaining ground floor
walls at either side, each with 3 blank windows with shouldered architraves.
Remainder of Unitarian Chapel now demolished."
The British History on-Line website [visit
link] gives some background to the site in 1950:
"Stamford Street Unitarian
Chapel
The erection of this chapel was
begun in 1821 on a piece of open ground fronting the newly made Upper Stamford
Street (now part of Stamford Street). The ground was purchased from Mr. David
Bickerton for £400 and the contractors, Messrs. Bennett and Hunt, were paid
£3,572 for the building. The cost was defrayed out of the proceeds of the sale
to the Westminster Improvement Commissioners of the Unitarian Chapel in Princes
Street, Westminster. The new chapel united the two congregations of Princes
Street Chapel and St. Thomas's Street Chapel, Southwark, whose lease had run
out. (ref. 252)
By 1859, the congregation had
dwindled so much that it was proposed to close the chapel, but the advent of the
Rev. Robert Spears in 1861 brought new life and a few years later the gallery
was built across the back to increase the seating capacity.
In 1882, the congregation was
flourishing and the need for more accommodation was felt. The roof was removed
and a hall "capable of holding about 500 children" was built over the chapel for
the use of the Sunday School. The organ, which came from Little Portland Street
Chapel in the 1860's and which had been installed under the gallery, was moved
to the recess between the columns at the opposite end of the building and the
pulpit was advanced in front of it. At the same time, the vestry was enlarged
and the original central entrance under the portico was replaced by two side
doors.
In 1897, the congregation was joined
by that of the Blackfriars Mission from the New Cut, and the accommodation of
the chapel was further increased by the excavation of rooms below ground level.
The present pulpit was also installed at that time.
Architectural
Description
The building has some pretensions to
architectural merit. A writer at the time of its erection described the design
as "chaste and grand." (ref. 232) The front projects slightly from the adjacent
houses and consists of a hexastyle portico of the Doric order crowned by a
pediment, the shafts of the columns standing directly on the
pavement.
The interior is dignified and simple
in treatment, reflecting the Greek character of the front. It has a flat ceiling
with massive beams and is lit by three plain round-arched windows on each side.
Over the entrance lobby is a shallow stepped gallery with an iron grille front
of anthemion design. Behind the rostrum is a shallow recess containing the organ
and partially screened by two fluted Doric columns."
The UK Unitarians website [visit link] tells
us:
"Blackfriars. Behind the National
Theatre on the South Bank you will find Stamford Street, and towards the eastern
end are the remains of the once very grand Stamford Street Chapel, namely a
classical portico. The chapel dated from 1821 or 1823, depending which authority
you take, and the congregation was itself a merger of two older foundations from
Southwark and Westminster. The Rev Robert Spears revived the cause at Stamford
Street in the 1860s, when it was almost deserted. The chapel closed in 1962, and
most of it was demolished shortly afterwards. A plaque remains."
It goes on to mention the
plaque.