These eight drawings represent Soane's first attempt at designing a church on the chosen site. From the Office Day Books it can be seen from the 2-16 September 1822 that his office was working daily on these designs.

The plans indicate that this would be a five-by-nine-bay church, as at Holy Trinity Marylebone, with free seats down the centre and the position of the pulpit, reading desk, vestry, and robing room. The same is true for the gallery level. The exterior would use an Ionic portico from the start, and the tower would be brought forward. This meant there was no room for a pediment. The lucarne on the tower at this point in the scheme is placed above the clock face. A frieze of fret would run around the entire building, with a high central hipped roof. The two sections allow the complexity of the roof timbers to be seen, with high trusses. Nonetheless, the interiors have much similarity with Holy Trinity Marylebone, with arched arcades from nave to gallery level, free seats down the centre and the pulpit and reading desk facing each-other at the end of the nave.

Soane was given a budget of £16,000 by the Commissioners for the church. The designs were submitted on September 24 1822, but Soane's estimate of £17,800 was considered too high, and Soane's explanation that the cost could be reduced to £16,000 after the tendering process was not accepted. Consequently, Soane had to revise his designs for the following year.

Group

If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk