Willesden: St Andrew
Diocese of London
Church, 623424
This church is on the Heritage at Risk Register (verified 2025-11-06)
View more information about this church on the Heritage at Risk website
Overview
Grid reference: TQ 227 845
The church and vicarage are by James Brooks who, although a prolific architect whose churches may be found in many parts of the country, was most particularly employed to provide capacious brick churches in East London for the High Church evangelising movement. The first building was a small iron room, which was replaced by a Mission Building in 1882. The following year the Bishop of London urged that a permanent church should be built, and by late autumn, 1884, Mr Brooks had prepared his plans.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Five-bay nave with north and south aisles and north-west porch; transepts with small spirelet over the crossing; chancel with north and south chapels, that on the south connected to the sacristies and the vicarage by a covered way.
Footprint of Church buildings: 788 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The church and vicarage are by James Brooks who, although a prolific architect whose churches may be found in many parts of the country, was most particularly employed to provide capacious brick churches in East London for the High Church evangelising movement.
The first building was a small iron room, which was replaced by a Mission Building in 1882. The following year the Bishop of London urged that a permanent church should be built, and by late autumn, 1884, Mr Brooks had prepared his plans.
Exterior Description
The west wall now faces a small fore-court which allows little appreciation of the composition; double doorway above the big with appropriate initials in the tympanum, the dominant feature is a great twelve light circular window. Although in the original design there were to be no buttresses at any point, this facade stone is articulated by octagonal turrets capped with pinnacles between the nave wall and the low aisles.
The north and south wall of the nave are identical, with big single lancets separated by buttresses in each bay of the aisles and two smaller lancets under retaining arches in each bay of the clerestorey. The porch at the north-west corner (which forms the usual entrance to the church) has a doorway under an arch of four receding orders of bricks, walls above which is a pair of small lancets. The side are pierced with three roundels each containing a quatrefoil.
The north wall of the transept was rebuilt some years ago because of structural failure, to the original design with the addition of buttresses much the Brooks idiom in with unavenly spaced offsets which are grouped closer together near the top of each buttress. A continuous arcade of seven tall, slender bays, links the three windows with panels of brick pierced with four quatrofoils within roundels. In the gable is a vesica. The south transept shows the original design without buttresses. The roof ridges are the same height as those of the nave and chancel, and the crossing is surmounted by a slender octagonal slated spirelet.
The chancel is square-ended with a wide five-light window composed of a group of lancets within a single arch. Again, the existing window differs from the design, which shows the outer pair of lights much lower, with the intervening space filled with a pair of blind roundels.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
c.1899
The east window of the south chapel shows Jubal and David.
Stained Glass
c.1890
The east window has five lights showing The Crucifixion surrounded by attendant saints and angels.
Stained Glass
c.1890
South chapel, south window: small lancet of St. Cecilia.
Stained Glass
1963
Ten lancets in the nave aisles show scenes from The Annunciation to Pentecost , by John Hayward
Stained Glass
1950
The transepts show St. Paul, St. Barnabas and St. Mark and Moses, Saul and Isaiah (south), by G. Maile, Auston Road
Stained Glass
The west window shows Christ and the Twelve Apostles, all against a background of "Cathedral glass", by Maile.
Stained Glass
c.1890
The north chapel has eight small lancetsao each with two scenes, many of which show The Good Shepherd in slightly differing attitudes
Interior
Interior Description
The interior of the church is faced with brick, with piers, shafts and other architectural details in Bath stone. The nave and chancel both have a full arcades, triforium and clerestorey. The piers of the nave arcades are round, square brick bases, with simple stiff-leaf capitals rather more Romanesque than Early English. The aisles are vaulted with brick vaults ribbed with stone.
The chancel is of four bays divided horizontally in the same proportions as the nave. The arches of the arcades are similar to those in the nave, but the piers which support them are in the form of four attached shafts; the triforium has paired arches of stone with a pierced quatrefoil above all within one brick arch, a departure from the simpler design in the nave. The chancel triforium is in any case a blind arcade because the chapels stand under which their own roofs so that there is no roof-space into the arches might open. The clerestory has a single lancet to each bay.
A low wall surmounted by an iron screen divides the nave from the chancel; incorporated at each end of the wall are a pair of half-round ambones as pulpit and loctern. The floor of the chancel is three steps above that of the nave, the steps being made of black marble veined with white.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
The altar is faced with marble, and the gradine is broken in the centre by a large baroque tabernacle for the reservation of the sacrament.
Reredos
c.1890
The reredos dates from c.1890, and consists of a large rectangular panel enclosed by doors; the panel is painted with a representationof the Last Supper the doors with St. John the Baptist and praying figures. By Westlake.
Font (object)
1897
The font was given by the children of the parish at the consecration of the nave.
Screen
The chancel screen is of delicate wrought ironwork painted black; similar screens also close the arches to the north and south chapels. The screen between the nave and chancel stands on a low wall of marble or alabaster with bands of cream and brown; at each end are semicircular projecting ambones enriched with a blind frieze of quatrefoils is towards the lower edge and a pierced friezeoff ods quatrefoils towards the upper edge.
Organ (object)
The organ is by Kingsgate Davidson, and occupies most of the west wall; it was not inspected, but probably has three manuals and electro-pneumatic action.
Pulpit
1955
Oak
Lectern
1955
Oak
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 227 845
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
Showing 10 entries of 10 View All
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.