St Peter
Petersham, Greater London
This Georgian church and its bucolic setting hasn’t changed significantly since it was shown in Turner’s view from Richmond Hill of 1820.
The 1960s were a time of great confidence and experimentation in many areas of life. New music, new fashion, new social freedoms and new technology all made it a heady and exciting time. In architecture, too, there were new materials, new construction techniques, and new opportunities to create buildings different from anything which had gone before. St Richard's by Ralph Covell is a product of that period. Its three rare timber hyperbolic paraboloid roofs facilitate a glorious curving wooden ceiling with light streaming in on all sides.
Twelve vibrant dalle de verre stained glass windows by Henry Haig depict the life of St Richard. Its Star of David layout, best seen on Google Earth, is thought to be unique in this country, giving the church, according to Historic England, 'something of a space-age character'. Contemporary furnishings designed by Covell and Haig are still largely intact. The remarkable nature of the building has now been recognised by it being added to the National Heritage List for England as "a striking and technically bold example of a post-war church, of special interest for its unusual plan, structural innovation and interior artwork".
The church was built by Wates as the centre piece of a new housing estate in the 1960’s and today it sits comfortably in St Richard’s Square alongside a Church of England Primary School as part of a neighbourhood centre and a good example of successful post War planning.