St. Stephen's Church, Bath

Infobox Historic building


caption=
name= St Stephen's Church
location_town=Walcot, Bath
location_country=England
architect=James Wilson
client=Anglican Church
engineer=
construction_start_date=1840
completion_date=1845, 1883, 1866
date_demolished=
cost=6,000 pounds
structural_system=Bath Stone Masonry
style=Victorian architecture

St Stephen's Church is a church in Bath, Somerset.

Designed to serve the spiritual needs of northeast Bath by James Wilson and built between 1840-1845, [cite web | title= Church of St Stephen | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=442817 | accessdate=2007-10-24] from Bath Stone a limestone sourced from the Limpley Stoke mine which is situated in the Limpley Stoke Valley.cite web|url=http://www.minervaconservation.com/projects/ststephens.html|title=St Stephens Church, Lansdown in Bath.|work=Minerva Stone Conservation|accessdate=2008-05-19]

St Stephen's Church on Lansdown Road in Walcot cost £6,000. The constructed church, however, remained unconsecrated until 1881. For the Royal School, a northeast aisle was added in 1866, thought to be designed by the Wilson & Willcox firm.

The very wide apsidal chancel with the vestry and organ chamber was built by W. J. Willcox built in 1882-1883, for £3,000. W. J. Willcox also designed the painted ceiling in 1886, which was executed by H. & F. Davis.

The Lady Chapel's east stained glass window was completed in 1983 by Mark Angus: "'Centenary,' depicting St Stephen’s transformation, on the bridge between life and death to the moment of martyrdom. With distorted ambiguity between pain and repose, the body rises amid red flames on a blue ground." The Gothicised font and font cover are Marble and dated 1843. The c.1900 transept ceiling and reredos are by Sir T. G. Jackson.

The crypt was converted into a community centre in 1993-1994 by Slade, Smith and Winrow. In 2007 the tower stonework was restored and the church bells replaced. Modern exterior floodlighting, replacing a less efficient previous system, was installed. [cite journal|last=Palmer|first=S|date=2007-08-30|title=Council's boost to tower appeal|journal=The Bath Chronicle|pages=p 9|accessdate=2008-07-03]

References

External links

* [http://ststephensbath.org.uk/ Official website]
*Photos of St Stephen's: [http://bathdailyphoto.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/070511walcot-lime-window-st-stephens-pevsner-architectural-church-chat/] [http://bathdailyphoto.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/070508walcot-congested-with-calcium-sulphate-aisle-five/]

Further reading

*Michael Forsyth (2003). "Bath". New Haven: Yale University Press, 265-266.