Allegorical Figure of Hope - St Peter & St Paul Chapel, ORNC, Greenwich, London, UK
N 51° 29.001 W 000° 00.314
30U E 707929 N 5707830
In the entrance vestibule of the St Peter and St Paul Chapel, at the Old Royal Naval College (ORNC) in Greenwich, there are four allegorical figures representing "Faith", "Hope", "Charity" and "Meekness". This entry is for "Hope".
Waymark Code: WMNA3T
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/29/2015
Views: 1
The St Peter and St Paul Chapel, at the ORNC, is open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 12.30pm to 5pm on Sunday. Admission if free.
The four life-sized Coade stone (artificial ceramic) statues, in the entrance vestibule, represent the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Meekness.
This depiction of "Hope" shows her standing. She is resting her righ elbow on the stock of a ship's anchor. A fluke of the anchor can be seen near her right leg. Her right head is close to her neck and her laft hand is by her left hip..
The inscription on the base of the statue reads:
Which hope we have as
an anchor of the soul
both sure and steadfast.
The ORNC website tells us:
The Chapel contains many examples of this artificial ceramic, manufactured in Eleanor Coade’s Lambeth factory in the 1780s. It is made of a mix of new and reused materials, resulting in a paste that can be placed into very detailed moulds before firing. The angel heads and column capitals in the nave are of Coade stone, as is the crest of the Royal Hospital on the balconies. In the vestibule, life-sized Coade stone statues represent the virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity and Meekness.
The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, constructed by Thomas Ripley to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, was the last major part of the Royal Hospital for Seamen to be built. Following a disastrous fire in 1779, it was redecorated by James ‘Athenian’ Stuart in the Greek revival style, and today is a wonderful example of a complete neoclassical interior.
The interior of the original chapel was much plainer than today, with a flat panelled ceiling, an apse (alcove) at the east end, and much smaller galleries. For many years there were no pews, and the injured sailors had to stand during their daily service. At 6am on 2 January 1779, a tremendous fire gutted the building, leaving only a shell.
James Stuart, as Surveyor at the Royal Hospital for Seamen, was appointed to re-design the Chapel in 1781. The Chapel reflects his influences of ancient Greek architecture and design. Stuart left much of the work to his Clerks of Works, Robert Mylne and William Newton who deserve much of the credit for the way the Chapel looks.