Long ago (late in 2000), I realised that I'd photographed a lot of churches abroad, but never those close to where I worked. Discussing the thought with a good friend with whom I also worked fairly closely, the idea of a photo essay emerged. Almost three years later, this is the result. I was working in the Victoria area of London and already had many photographs of Westminster Cathedral, but I decided to start with somewhere I hadn't photographed before.
So, welcome to Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, at the heart of Chelsea in Central London. Designed by J D Sedding in 1887 (there's a plaque to him in the Lady Chapel), Sir John Betjeman called it the 'Cathedral of the Arts & Crafts Movement'. William Morris and Sir Edward Burne-Jones supervised the majority of the decoration of the church, and it strikes me that the members of the movement who helped design and decorate the place must have had tremendous fun. Why not, indeed?
Apart from what is one of the nicest brick facades in the area (in my opinion at least), it's the varieties of scale that caught my eye. On entry, you're confronted with the massive (and famous) East Window, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a pre-Raphaelite artist (1833-98). This is so eye-catching that it takes a while to notice anything else. But everywhere you look, when you do finally look, there's something new.
Madonna statues are my favourites, so you'll be totally unsurprised that I love this one - a rather fine and, in comparison with most, extremely jolly, Madonna and Child, obviously loved in the same way as the one at Westminster Cathedral.
However, there's a wealth of other detail to look at. Decorated railings, chrubs and altar-pieces, together with more stunning stained glass. There's a life-size bronze angel by H H Armstead supports the lectern. And a relief of grapes finishes off the plain walls. These walls contribute to the wonderful acoustics, which are shown to fine effect by regular choir and organ concerts, including some (the first Wednesday of the month) at lunchtimes.