Royal Garrison Church of St George - Grand Depot Road, Woolwich, London, UK
N 51° 29.123 E 000° 03.770
31U E 296077 N 5707894
This is the remains of St George's church that was destroyed by a flying bomb on 13th July 1944 during the second World War. There is no access to the church for the general public on a day-to-day basis.
Waymark Code: WMQRMF
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/24/2016
Views: 1
A plaque, at the site, reads:
Royal Garrison Church
of St George
Destroyed by Flying Bomb
on 13th July 1944
Consecrated Ground Preserved
as a Memorial Garden and
containing the V.C. Memorial
of the Royal Regiment of
Artillery
Despite the church being a ruin it is Grade II listed with the entry at the Historic England website telling us:
Church of 1863, designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The chapel of St George, Woolwich, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
- Although now ruinous, it is a rare and important example of Early Christian/Lombardic Romanesque architecture in the mid-Victorian period.
- A good example of Victorian polychromy applied to a church building.
- It has group value with the highly significant military site of Woolwich * Its ruinous state reflects the impact of aerial assault.
MATERIALS: Blue engineering bricks, red brick and buff stock brick with dressings of red and blue brick and stone. Roofless.
PLAN: Rectangular nave, apsidal sanctuary, W porch with flanking porticoes
EXTERIOR: After destruction by a flying bomb in 1944 the chapel remains a roofless shell with just the lower parts of the walling remaining, except at the W end where the entrance porch is largely intact. Built in the style of a large Early Christian/Italian Romanesque basilica. It is still an impressive monument. Much use is made of brick polychromy with blue engineering bricks being used for the base course, and a red brick for the next stage. Above this comes buff stock brick for the main walling. The E end is a forceful composition with the semi-circular apse rising dramatically from the falling ground and flanked by two half-apse. At the W end the main porch stands under a gabled head and has monolithic pink Aberdeen granite piers of quatrefoil section. These carry ornately carved capitals with angel busts and, on the right-hand capital a gryphon. The arch above has red and blue brick polychromy. Square porticoes flank the main entrance each with detached columns framing the openings and capitals similar to those of the main porch. These porticoes have subsidiary entrances to the body of the church, no doubt to speed the entrance and exit of the large numbers of men being expected to use the chapel. The ruin was consolidated after the war.
INTERIOR: Something of the rich decoration of the E parts survives. The apse has a mosaic representation of St George and the Dragon as a reredos and a tiled inscription above. Some of the marble or alabaster wall covering survives to the right of the reredos. The lower parts of large columns framing the sanctuary entrance survive and behind these are more mosaics, of a peacock (left) and a phoenix (right). Over the side arches are grape and vine leaf trails, also in mosaic.
PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: An altar with stone trefoiled arches to its front stands in the apse.
HISTORY: The barracks at Woolwich for the Royal Artillery were built between 1776 and 1802. St George's was built as the garrison church in 1863 but was bombed in July 1944, leaving the ruin that survives today. It appears to have been planned when Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert (1810-61) was Secretary of War, 1859-61, and his influence no doubt lies behind the choice of style and the architect. The Early Christian/Lombardic Romanesque style had been used by T H Wyatt (1807-80) for the large and important church of St Mary and St Nicholas adjacent to Wilton House, the Herbert family seat. That church had cost £20,000. Wyatt was a prolific London-based architect who was honorary architect to the Salisbury Diocesan Church Building Society.
The Historic England website also has another entry that further tells us:
Background and history
St George's Church was built in 1863 to serve the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. It was an ambitious building, designed by Thomas Henry Wyatt in an Italianate style. Most impressive was the richly decorated interior, with mosaics, inlaid marble and tiled inscriptions around the apse. The centrepiece was the mosaic of George and the Dragon. This was flanked by marble tablets commemorating artillery men awarded the Victoria Cross.
St George's Church served the garrison community for many years and even hosted royal visits. But much of the building was destroyed by a V2 flying bomb in 1944. Fortunately the apse with its rich decoration survived. After the war, what remained of the church was consolidated as a roofless ruin.
In 2011 St George's was acquired by Heritage of London Trust Operations (HOLT Ops). The trust has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the site.
Is it at risk?
The decorative finishes at St Georges, once safely housed inside the church, have been exposed to the elements for 70 years. A temporary tin roof provided some protection, but the mosaics, marble and tiles became increasingly worn and loose. This was largely caused by prolonged water and frost damage.
St George's Garrison Church was therefore added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2000.
What's the current situation?
A permanent roof has now been installed over the east end of the former church. This is thanks to the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as other funders. A toilet and kitchen have also been fitted at the west end. These make the site useable for small scale community events.
The new tensile roof will protect the surviving mosaics. With funding from Historic England, these mosaics have been meticulously conserved. Works were carried out by a team of experts, with the help of two apprentices. The tiles were carefully cleaned and loose elements re-secured. The tops of the walls were also repaired to prevent further water ingress. The panel of George and the Dragon is once again the centrepiece of the site.
Despite this progress, there are still significant challenges at St George's. The decorative marble and tiles in the apse require urgent attention. Further funding will need to be secured for these repairs.
Historic England will continue to work closely with HOLT Ops and the Friends Group. We will ensure that St George's Garrison Church continues to serve the local community as a place of commemoration.