All Saints Church, West Dulwich

Infobox church
name = All Saints Church, West Dulwich
architect = George Fellowes Prynne
constructed_date = 1888—1897
address = Rosendale Road, London Borough of Lambeth
country = United Kingdom

All Saints Church is a Grade I-listed church located in West Dulwich, London Borough of Lambeth in south London] . It was built 1888—1897 and designed by George Fellowes Prynne. The building's interior was destroyed by fire on June 9, 2000. The church has since been restored and reopened in April 2006.

Description

The church is an important example of the work of George Fellowes Prynne, a pupil of G E Street. The building is vast in scale even though incomplete. The nave was intended to be 3 bays longer with an apsidal western baptistry. A flèche was intended over the chancel arch, flanked by a tall slender tower. Only the base of the flèche exists and the present simple bell turret by J B S Comper of 1952 is a modest substitute. The plain west porch is another post-war addition.

The church comprises a 4 bay nave, the west bay being incomplete with no clerestory and "temporary" slated gable end. It is flanked by narrow aisles and porches (now used for other purposes). The nave is flanked by the Lady Chapel in the north Aisle and All Souls Chapel in the south aisle. The apsidal chancel is enclosed by a narrow ambulatory. To the north the Lady Chapel has its own arcaded chancel with ambulatory. To the south of the chancel the space is occupied by the organ chamber and vestries.

The site slopes dramatically down from Lovelace Road to Rosendale Road. The east end is therefore dramatically lofty and the whole church, with the exception of the incomplete west bay, is poised over huge crypt spaces, which are extensively used by the wider community. The north-east corner of the building has 4 storeys of accommodation. A fine enclosed staircase rises to church floor level across the east elevation.

The church is brick built with stone dressings and steep pitched slated roofs. The aisles have individual double pitched roofs with deep valley gutters alongside the nave's clerestory.

Architecturally the contrast between the dramatically lofty east end facing Rosendale Road and the prosaic, obviously unfinished, west end onto Lovelace Road could hardly be greater.

After the fire, there was uncertainty as to whether the church would be restored however with local support a campaign to restore the church was completed in 2006. The western side of the church now has a thoroughly modern but low key entrance in contrast to the gothic architecture of the remainder of the building.

Currently the church serves as home of the [http://www.lambeth-orchestra.org.uk Lambeth Orchestra] and the [http://www.dulwichsymphonyorchestra.org.uk Dulwich Symphony Orchestra] . Following the restoration has a private nursery located in the basement.