A Short History of the Chapel of St Augustine of Canterbury

Transcription

1 A Short History of the Chapel of St Augustine of Canterbury

2 The Chapel of St Augustine of Canterbury in London House Chaplain s Introduction Amongst the exciting activity of central London and the stress and strains of studying, the Chapel of St Augustine of Canterbury remains a place of quiet reflection, prayer and community life. Members, staff and visitors spend time in the Chapel at all times of day and night: its doors are never shut. Regular services are held throughout the week; solemn and celebratory ceremonies are held here; groups meet; concerts take place. During the academic year new members are welcomed here; the founders of the College are commemorated; the dedication of the Chapel and its patron, St Augustine of Canterbury, is marked. The Chapel is not only for people with Christian faith; rather, it is a holy place where everyone can be at home and at peace. The Chapel is a gift for us all because it is a place where we can simply be, without the pressure of being useful, profitable, active or even meaningful. Pleasure, hope, love and friendship is nurtured and treasured here. Hopefully, this booklet will help us continue to treasure the Chapel. Revd Jennie Hogan, MA (Cantab), College Chaplain, present The consecration of the Chapel on the 12th of November 1963 by the Right Reverend Robert Stopford Bishop of London. St Augustine of Canterbury Augustine was prior in the Benedictine monastery of St Andrew, in Rome. In 596 he was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to lead a group of forty monks to re-evangelize the Christian church in England. Following a gruelling journey they landed in Kent a year later. They were welcomed by King Ethelburt and his wife, Bertha, who was already a Christian. The King converted to Christianity and Augustine was free to teach people about the Christian faith. He was made a Bishop and began to establish the church in England. Many churches were founded and the Bishopric of London was created with the ordination of Melitus. Augustine would have liked London to be the primatial see, but Canterbury was chosen. He is the first Archbishop of Canterbury. He died in 605. We have a lot to thank Augustine for: he transformed this country s understanding of God, he influenced people in authority, he encouraged learning and promoted acts of charity throughout England. He was a man from a different country who made a huge impact on this land. It is very fitting for St Augustine of Canterbury to be the Patron of our Chapel. The College Chapel: A Theological Reflection St Augustine of Canterbury preaching before Ethelburt Colour-printed wood engraving, London, Many of our members may wonder why Goodenough College has a Christian Chapel as part of its community life. Like so many things in English culture, the answer lies in the past. During the Reformation in 1534, Henry VIII decided that England would have its very own national Christian church under royal authority. Since this beginning, the Church of England has always had a two-fold purpose: i) to encourage reconciliation and fellowship between God and humanity; and ii) to encourage reconciliation and fellowship within the human community. Because these two dimensions were considered fundamental for human thriving, successive governments have always included the presence of the Anglican Church in its institutions. As a result, it is customary in England for the armed forces, hospitals,

3 prisons, retirement communities, schools, and universities all to have chaplains and a place for worship. The Chapel of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Goodenough College stands in this tradition. However, English culture is not as monochrome as it was in English citizens are no longer automatically baptized into the Church of England. Today not every English citizen of faith is Christian. Nor does every English citizen necessarily even believe in God. In the face of this reality, modern Church of England chaplaincies continue to promote human well-being through their witness to God s unconditional love for humanity as revealed in Jesus Christ. However, they also seek to fulfill that ancient spiritual practice of hospitality so encouraged in the Bible, but also by many other religions and cultures. In the global context of Goodenough College, the Chapel s ministry of hospitality means ensuring that all residents of faith are connected to and supported by representatives of their own tradition, in addition to directly supporting Christians with both Protestant and Roman Catholic worship services. Hospitality also means that the College Chaplain offers general care for the well-being of all residents, regardless of any religious affiliation. Yet, from its beginning, the Church of England has always been as concerned for the well-being of people s relationships with each other as it has been about their relationship with God. As a result, the College Chapel has been at the forefront of helping members get involved in social welfare projects in London. Even the College practice of hosting globally significant conferences has its roots in a Chapel-sponsored annual programme from the 1990s called the Commonwealth Students Forum. Today the Chapel of St. Augustine of Canterbury carries on its traditional English ministry in the Name of Jesus but with his unconditional love and hospitality for all members of the global family at Goodenough College and beyond. Thanks be to God! Revd Canon Dr. John Ashley Null, BD (Cantab), FSA, FRHistS College Chaplain, Chapel Timeline A page from the Register of Services. June In the initial plans for London House the architects of London House, Sir Herbert Baker and Alexander Scott, made no plans for a chapel as they assumed that the residents would share a local church with a local congregation. St Bartholomew s Church of the parish of St Pancras, located just on the other side of Gray s Inn Road, offered a site for Anglican worship to students living in the Trust houses in Mecklenburgh square, and later in the completed wings of London House The Archbishop of Canterbury, following lobbying from The Student Christian Movement, wrote to Sir William Goodenough with his opinion that a chapel was a necessary addition to the growing building. It was, he suggested, important to the wellbeing of the residents to provide a place for private prayer, bible study, and a locus standi for clergy and ministers. The London House trust were nervous of complying completely with this suggestion immediately as they feared it would alienate supporters of the project from other religious backgrounds, in particular the Catholic French Canadians. Using Sir William s ill health as an excuse they delayed responding to the Archbishop s recommendation The Lord Mayor s Thanksgiving Trust was wound up and administration of the college houses passed to the Dominion Student s Hall Trust. With increased independence the new board started to make plans for a small London House chapel that would be appropriate to the needs and wishes of both the college community and its benefactors.

4 1953 A room on the first floor of the newly built North wing, overlooking the square garden, was set aside for private prayer and reflection and licenced by the Bishop of London. However the residents remained regular attendants at St Bartholomew s under the chaplaincy of the Reverend Gordon Huelin St Bartholomew s church had suffered serious bomb damage during the blitz and in April the decision was taken to close rather than rebuild the church. The parish and benefice were united with the parish of St George the Martyr with Holy Trinity, Queen Square, Holborn. Mecklenburgh Square had become part of parish of St George the Martyr (Queens Square) and the London House chapel became extraparochial. The Rev John Borrill of St Pancras was made honorary chaplain for the college. The inconvenient distance to the new parish church and the popularity of the in-house chapel motivated the governing body to begin planning a more formal and larger chapel space for the growing community. With trust offices relocated to the new North wing, rooms on the ground floor adjacent to the Churchill room could be redeveloped and Trust architect Vernon Helbing was instructed to draw up plans Permission was given by the Archbishop of Westminster for the Chapel to be used for Catholic services, and the first Catholic Mass was held on the 22nd of September The Chapel fittings were refurbished with pew runners and four sets of vestments, lectern falls and altar panels in the four liturgical colours commissioned from Watts & Company Ecclesiastical Furnishers. Care was taken to keep changes sympathetic to the original designs and the pale blue surrounds of the kneeler cushion covers were echoed in new carpeting and painted ceiling recesses As part of the extensive renovations to London House a proposal was put forward for the removal of the Chapel fittings to create a versatile multifaith space for worship and congregation. On consideration however, the College custodians decided that the design and outfitting had historic significance within the context of Sir Herbert Baker s iconic building, and the renovations were modelled on the 1996 refurbishment schedule. In the half century since its consecration, St Augustine s Chapel has seen numerous weddings, christenings, memorial and commemorative services. Under the care of a succession of chaplains with backgrounds almost as diverse as those of their congregations it has successfully combined the traditional offices of a college chapel with a broader ministration embracing residents from the many different faith communities that make up Goodenough College. While the physical form of this space continues to reflect the historical aims of the Goodenough Trust to provide a quintessential English experience to Commonwealth scholars, the function and spirit continue to evolve to encompass the present and future needs of this unique community. Room 98: the first London House Chapel 1963 The Chapel was consecrated on the 12th of November, by the Right Reverend Robert Stopford Bishop of London. It was dedicated to St Augustine of Canterbury who has historical associations with the London Bishopric and the Parish of St Pancras. In December Philip Jones was appointed as the first full-time Chaplain to the trust. The Chapel shortly after its consecration in 1963 and as it looks today.

5 Fitting Out For Worship A chapel committee chaired by Mr H D H (later Sir David) Wills and the Revd John Borrill was convened to oversee the operation. They worked closely with the architect who supplied detailed plans for layout and fixtures as well as the set of antique Dutch wall bracket candelabra. Initially, fitting out the chapel with second hand fixtures and furnishing was discussed but this was soon rejected in favour of a more ambitious scheme. A suggestion by the Bishop of London that Brigadier Pepper might like to engage the services of the young Mark Rothko (then working in London and keen to decorate a place of worship) seems also to have been rejected. Presumably the Trust and the chapel committee wanted a more conservative outfit in keeping with the traditional design of London House. Designs for stained glass windows with College motifs were commissioned but eventually put aside in favour of hand blown Norman glass. The firm of Robert Mouseman Thompson, who had supplied the tables for the great hall, made the pews and tables. Two of Thompson s signature mice can be found masquerading as scrollwork on the altar. The silver cross and candlesticks were made by the Queen Mother s silversmith, Lesley Durbin. Letter from the Bishop of London to Brigadier Peter Pepper, July 1963 Joanna Dannatt, the controller of William Goodenough House, commissioned patterns for a set of kneeler cushions with designs depicting floral and faunal emblems of the dominions from the Royal School of Needlework in Chelsea. These were distributed to and worked by friends of the Trust in gross and petit point embroidery. Many of the set took their volunteer embroiderers several years to complete, and the final two were only returned completed in the 1990s. Mouse detail on Robert Thompson s altar front. Carved oak leaves and London House monogram on the Chapel lectern. A selection of designs showing emblems of the Dominions from the embroidered kneeler cushions. A small organ in a light oak finish matching the pews and panelling reached the end of its musical life after several decades of service and was replaced by the current baby grand piano. The carved lectern and entrance table are also later additions from 1965.

6 The College Prayer O Everlasting God, lover of all goodness and virtue, we give thanks for our Founder, Frederick Crawford Goodenough and all other benefactors; and ask that, inspired by their generosity, we may use the gifts you have given us for the increase of our love of learning and of each other. May we not be divided by ignorance but be made one in wisdom, in accordance with your will. The College Chaplains: Amen Revd Gordon Huelin Revd John Borrill Revd Philip Jones Revd Arthur Thornley No immediate successor to the Reverend A. Thornley was appointed and the post was filled with visiting Chaplains between 1976 and 1990 Brother Christian, Society of St Francis Revd Dr Ashley Null Revd Moray Thomas Revd Jennie Hogan Catholic Chaplains Father Matthew Kukah present early 1990s Rev Francis Le Marie early 1990s Father John Dawer Father Casimir Adjoe Father Vincent Dike Father Brian Creak Acknowledgements present Documentary sources and original images for this history were drawn from the Goodenough College Archive. Isobel Harcourt, College member and Resident Archivist, put together the timeline and arranged the images and text. Thanks are due to Alastair Sealey for his design contributions, and Major General Andrew Ritchie, Director of Goodenough College, for his enthusiasm and support throughout this project.

7 Revd. Jennie Hogan and Father Brian Creak, the current Chaplains (2017).