All Manner of Workmanship
Illustrated booklet produced c.1959 by Faith Craft. 48pp, with photographs illustrating works in forty-eight locations.
“The illustrations in this booklet show the work of a group of Architects, Artists and Craftsmen co-operating in a mutual endeavour to raise the standard of church furnishing generally.
“Everything shown in the following pages has been specially designed for the Cathedrals and Churches concerned, and have been executed in the Studios and Workshops of Faith Craft under the personal supervision of the Architect or Artist responsible for the design.
“In most cases the Artists are those associated with Faith Craft: G Baden Beadle FRSA, Francis Stephens ARCA, T D Rendall FRSA, and John Hayward.
“Studio and Showrooms: Faith House, 7 Tufton Street, Westminster, SW1. Telephone: Abbey 4927. Workshop: St Albans, Hertfordshire.”
Anonymous location
Processional cross in silver-plate with fourteen panels of Limoges enamels depicting the Way of the Cross.
Ballas Alla, Isle of Man: St Mary’s Abbey
East window, depicting the Ascension, with a small scene of the Crucifixion below; on one side St Germanus, on the other St Lupus. Behind Our Lord is the HeavenlyCity.
Bath: St Mary, Claverton
Lectern in bronze, silver-plated.
Bethnal Green, London: St Matthew
Font-cover; walnut, with gilded carving. 1958[1].
Blackdown, Hampshire: St Michael’s Garrison Chapel
Choir stalls, priest’s desk and stall, and lectern in oak; with gilded decoration. Figure of St Michael, 8ft high, on the west wall, carved in wood and decorated in silver and gold.
Bocking, Essex: St Mary
Baptistery Screen at west end, Renaissance in feeling.
Brentwood, Essex: BrentwoodSchool
Masters’ stalls at the west end of the School Chapel. It doubles-up as a War Memorial, incorporating the school’s Roll of Honour. 1949[2].
Burnley, Lancashire: Churchwardens’ staves in bronze, with angel-emblems of St Matthew, enamelled, standing inside delicate tracery.
Canterbury, Kent: Cathedral
Pair of processional torches in gilded bronze and red lacquer. First used on the occasion of the visit to Canterbury of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth immediately after WWII. 1946.
Carlisle, Cumbria: Cathedral
Ornaments – cross and two candlesticks – for the Nave Altar (the Regimental Chapel) in bronze, silver-plated.
Chingola, Northern Rhodesia: Cathedral
Figure of Christus Regnans, carved in wood, 7ft high, for the East wall; decorated in gold, and very bright colours to tell against the strong sunlight of Africa.
City of London: St Botolph Aldgate
Eagle lectern, made from wood salvaged from the 15th-century roof of the Guildhall after the fire-raid during WWII.
Clapham, Middlesex: St Paul
Lectern, with low-relief carving of the Apostles on the stem, and a panel with his emblems on the book-rest.
Darwen, Lancashire: St John
Altar frontal; red, with three panels depicting Our Lady, the Agnus Dei and St John the Evangelist, and a design of conventional flowers in coloured silks, yellow, blue and green, and gold thread.
Datchworth, Hertfordshire: All Saints
Reredos and altar with draped frontal. In the centre panel, Our Lord Enthroned, on the left St Mary Magdalen, on the right St Alban. The pillars are carved with the symbols of the Four Evangelists.
Eastbourne, Sussex: St Peter
Processional Cross in silver-plate, enriched with symbols of St Peter in red enamel and gilt.
Enfield, Middlesex: St George
Altar-piece and panelling. Plain oak, relieved with a little gold.
Gambia and the Rio Pongas
Seal for the Bishop of Gambia and the Rio Pongas, the arms of the bishop being impaled with the arms of the See.
Gillingham, Kent: St Augustine
Carved figure of the Risen Lord, a little larger than life-size, decorated in colours and gold; placed above the High Altar on the east wall.
Greenford, Middlesex: Holy Cross
Rood figures, carved in wood and decorated in gold and colours. Part of the scheme for complete restoration being carried out by Faith Craft.
Harrow, Middlesex: St George
Triptych reredos depicting the Three Magi at the home in Bethlehem, with the Annunciation in the side panels. 1949, by John Crawford[3].
Herbrandston, Pembrokeshire: St Mary
Hinging Rood, carved in low-relief decorated in gold and colours. 1952, by Francis Stephens.
Hertford, Hertfordshire: BluecoatSchool
Figure of the Boy King, Edward VI, the Founder; in wood, decorated with gold and colours.
Hexham, Northumberland: Abbey
Ornaments for the Nave Altar with heraldic cartouche in coloured enamels. Bronze, silver-plated.
Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire: St Mary
Reredos carved in low relief, coloured and gilt, depicting the Annunciation, Our Lord in Glory, and the Risen Christ with St Mary Magdalene.
Horfield, Bristol: St Gregory the Great
Reredos depicting Our Lord on the Cross, altar ornaments and communion rails. The frame of the reredos is filled with emblems of the Passion. 1949[4].
The two figures on brackets flanking the reredos,depicting St Gregory (left) and St Augustine of Canterbury (right), are also by Faith Craft.
Kensington, Lord Bishop of
Pastoral staff in walnut. One side has a figure of St John the Evangelist, the other the symbolic Eagle.
Kensington, London: Serbian Orthodox Church
Royal Throne.
Lambeth, London: St Mary
Great East Window, depicting Our Lord enthroned in glory, surrounded by the heavenly host, with St Mary and St John the Baptist. Below are five Saints connected with the church at Lambeth. The window is 26ft high and 12ft wide[5].
Lambeth, London: Lambeth Palace
Communion set (chalice, paten, wafer box and two silver-mounted glass cruets) in beaten silver enriched with enamels. Presented to Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, by the Episcopal Church of America on the occasion of his Enthronement. 1945.
Lambourn, Berkshire: St Michael
Ancient floor levels restored; walls whitened; new altar rails, altar and furnishings. In the reredos are the Four Archangels, carved in wood and gilded, against a rose dossal. 1950[6].
Lincoln, Lincolnshire: St Giles
Font-cover of Carolean type. The small brackets and stained and gilded.
Little Hormead, Hertfordshire: St Mary
Restoration of the Royal Arms of Charles II; 1660. Restored 1953 to commemorate the Coronation of Elizabeth II.
Longstowe, Cambridgeshire: St Mary
Mural monument in Hopton Wood stone to Major Sir Charles Wentworth Stanley (d.1939); heraldry and lettering incised and coloured.
New York: St Luke, Brooklyn
Banner, in appliqué embroidery, with Symbols of the Four Evangelists.
Penzance, Cornwall: St John the Baptist
Reredos showing: St Mary with the Infant Christ with St Elizabeth and St John the Baptist as a child; the Baptism of Our Lord; and the Execution of St John the Baptist.
Perth, Perthshire: St Ninian’s Cathedral
Chapel of St Andrew: Altar, reredos, rails and candlesticks.
Chapel of the Resurrection: Altar, baldachino, dossal, altar cross and candlesticks, seating and large figure of Our Lord in oak, with nimbus in burnished gold.
Portsmouth, Hampshire: St Nicholas
Carved wood plaque of the Nativity. Decorated in gold and silver, hung on a blue curtain in the Lady Chapel.
St Clears, Pembrokeshire:
Pulpit in oak, with carved panels.
St David’s, Pembrokeshire: Cathedral
Alms-chest, with painted panel depicting the arms of the See.
Southchurch, Essex: Holy Trinity
Reredos in carved wood with the Four Evangelists, and a representation of the Trinity. Different coloured woods – i.e. gold pine, oak and limewood – used to produce a rich effect. 1956.
Southall, Middlesex: St George
Reredos depicting the Epiphany, the Martyrdom of St George, and St Botolph founding his Abbey. New altar ornaments in silvered wood.
South Ramsey, Isle of Man:
Reredos in walnut, with colour and gold. The Conversion of Saul; Our Loerd; and the Landing of St Maughold.
Spalding, Lincolnshire: St Paul
Lady Chapel: Stone altar, silver cross and two candlesticks, aumbry, altar-rails, priest’s desk and stall, stained glass window of the Virgin and Child.
Thornaby-on-Tees, Cleveland: St Luke
A set of four emblems of the Evangelists for the reredos. In gilded wood.
Wellington, New Zealand: Cathedral
The Diocesan Banner of the Mothers’ Union. There are thirty-eight shields on the banner, embroidered with the arms or emblems of the churches in the Diocese, the arms of the See, and the arms of the Mothers’ Union. New Zealand flowers are woven into a halo surrounding the Madonna and Child.
West Malvern, Worcestershire: St James
Carved font-cover after late-Gothic models.
Bishop’s chair, with the arms of the See.
Woodford, Essex: St Barnabas
Altar setting; reredos with bas-relief of St Mary and the Holy Child in the centre. 1951.
Dr Julian Litten
Principal
May 2012
1
[1] All the furniture for this bombed-out church was designed and made by Faith Craft, 1958-1961.
[2] Designed by Laurence King FRIBA.
[3]Designed by John Crawford. Crawford was a former pupil of Martin Travers (d.1948).
[4] Designed by John Crawford as a War Memorial. Exhibited at the Festival of Britain, 1951.
[5] Designed by Francis Stephens ARCA, a former pupil of Martin Travers.
[6] Designed by G Baden Beadle FRSA.