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STRUCTURE AND ARCHITECTURE
| OUR CHURCH | ARCHITECTURE |
| PHOTO GALLERY 1 | PHOTO GALLERY 2 | PHOTO GALLERY 3 |
| PHOTO TOUR |
The photo gallery accompanies the description below: click here
The traditional design consisted of nave, aisles and chancel, with walls made of
Bath stone. There is a square tower or campanile of three storeys
projecting from the facade. This
West
Tower, facing the River Thames, has a typical Victorian Italianate
top enclosing a belfry, where originally two sweet bells would automatically
chime the Angelus at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm. At the
lower levels,
the clock was made before 1770 by Henry Hindley and
probably acquired from the Savile family in Yorkshire.
Below
in the archway immediately above the main door is Alpha|Christ|Omega
symbol
embossed in the Bath stone.
The side aisles are
covered by sloping roofs with
windows that are all
round-arched
and decorated with so-called Venetian tracery. The facade incorporates the
fronts to the side aisles recessed behind the Tower.
The
composition
is given added
prominence by further north and south wings which were originally the Priests’
House and also the School, with domestic accommodation. The latter (photo
on the right) was named "Alexander House" in 2003 in honour of Alexander
Raphael.
The interior is
Renaissance, incorporating a range of graceful
Ionic arcade columns supporting
semi-circular arches along a tall, narrow nave which has clerestory
windows mounted high over the aisle roofs.
The
whole of the sanctuary, the High Altar, the round pulpit and the baptismal
font
are made of white Sicilian marble.
The richly stained glass windows above the High Altar depict three
scenes: the middle one shows young Tobias with the Angel Raphael, who
was sent
by God to help Tobias on the journey to Medes. Beneath is the Coat of Arms
of the Savile family. 
On the left Jesus is shown in the Garden
of Gethsemani, and on the right, the Angel Gabriel announcing to Our
Lady that she is to be the Mother
of God.
Under
the eaves at the front of the church are
six plaster statues that probably originated in Germany and are over 100 years
old. The three on the right aisle are of Our Lord, Our Lady Saint Joseph;
the three on the left are of St Peter, St Paul and St John the Evangelist.
The
Organ
Sited in the choir loft, the
organ was constructed by Bishop & Starr, appointed organ-builder to Her Majesty
Queen Victoria. It is still in reasonable working order today, though there has
been some deterioration and some repair
work is required. The organ is
believed to have been played by Chopin and many other celebrated musicians.
The Crypt
Beneath the High Altar is the Savile family crypt, where the remains of Alexander Raphael lie in a brass-studded coffin. Ten members of the Savile family are also interred there, together with Father Ainsworth, the first Parish Priest, who died on 20 January 1880, and most recently Canon Bernard Grady, Parish Priest from 1955 to 1987. He died in February 1992.
| OUR CHURCH | ARCHITECTURE |
| PHOTO GALLERY 1 | PHOTO GALLERY 2 |
| PHOTO TOUR |
ΑXΩ
St Raphael’s Church ©
