All Souls Church - Langham Place, London, UK
N 51° 31.076 W 000° 08.594
30U E 698199 N 5711292
All Souls church has a beautiful spire/tower with four clocks placed around it. The church was built in 1824 but was heavily damaged by bombing in 1940. It eventually re-opened in 1976.
Waymark Code: WMG4F4
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/11/2013
Views: 7
All the clock faces
are identical so only one is described here. The clock is set into the stonework
of the tower in a square recess. The backboard is black, or a very dark colour,
with gold coloured patterns in the corner. The clock face, which is round and of
the same colour sits on the backboard and extends to the board's edges.
The minute marks are
around the circumference of the face and are also gold in colour and are marked
on the face of the clock. The marks are rectangular in shape with those at the
five minute marks being triangular with the apexes pointing to the centre of the face.
The hour marks are
also gold coloured and painted directly on to the clock face. They are
traditional Roman numerals for a clock with 'IIII' being used instead of 'IV' for four.
The hands are also
gold in colour and of a narrow design. The minute hand has a tail.
The church is
Grade I listed and the entry at the English Heritage website [
visit link
]
tells us:
"Church. 1822-24 by John Nash, restored after war
damage. Bath stone; hipped slate roof to church proper. Rectangular body with
the south west end circular portico, tower and peristyle encircled spire as the
distinguishing feature of this neoclassical hybrid design, ingeniously both
closing the vista and acting as the pivotal focus for the change in direction of
Nash's Via Triumphalis between Langham Place and Portland Place. The circular
portico raised on a flight of steps has giant Ionic columns carrying entablature
and balustraded parapet; the circular tower with architraved and corniced
entrance at its foot rises above the portico to the open Corinthian columned
peristyle screening the base of the 12-sided stone spire. The body of the church
(extending off the side lines to the north east) is in plain ashlar on 2 storeys
with 6-window sides, square headed in lower register and semicircular arched
above; plinth, plat band and sill band, crowning cornice and blocking course.
Interior has gallery on chamfered piers,above which rise Corinthian columns
carrying flat ceiling with enriched cove; circular vestibule in base of tower.
Copy of bust of Nash by Behnes in portico."