St Gabriel's, Pimlico, is an

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

parish church of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

located in

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...

, London. It lies within the Deanery of Westminster (St Margaret) within the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

. Designed by

Thomas Cundy (junior) Thomas Cundy the younger (1790 – 15 July 1867) was an English architect, son of another architect of the same name. He joined Thomas Cundy (senior), his father's practice and ultimately succeeded his father as surveyor of the Grosvenor esta ...

, it was constructed between 1851 and 1853 as part of

Thomas Cubitt Thomas Cubitt (25 February 1788 – 20 December 1855) was a British master builder, notable for his employment in developing many of the historic streets and squares of London, especially in Belgravia, Pimlico and Bloomsbury. Background The s ...

's development of the area on behalf of the Marquess of Westminster. It is a

Grade II* Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

The church was built between 1851 and 1853 by

. In the period 1840–60, Pimlico was a rapidly expanding residential area and The Marquess of Westminster, the major local landowner, granted £5,000 and the freehold of a plot at the south-western end of Warwick Square for a church. The vestry was added in 1887-8 by

James Piers St Aubyn James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident Victorian restoration, restorations. Early life St Aubyn was ...

Description

Immediately following all this work came a period of improvements in the chancel, funded in the main by Lord

Edward Pelham-Clinton Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Edward William Pelham-Clinton (11 August 1836 – 9 July 1907), known as Lord Edward Clinton, was a British Liberal Party politician. Life Clinton was the second son of Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle and ...

. A new high altar had been installed, designed by

John Francis Bentley John Francis Bentley (30 January 1839 – 2 March 1902) was an English ecclesiastical architect whose most famous work is the Westminster Cathedral in London, England, built in a style heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture. Life Bentley ...

, architect of

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

, and now the whole chancel was lined with alabaster by Powell with Italianate mosaic designs. The floor is of red and white marble squares with solid marble steps. Particularly prominent was the new East Window by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lychg ...

depicting Christ in Glory with Saints.

Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel was added to the south of the chancel and some of the original reredos (thought to be by

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

) from the original high altar, installed there.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Gabriel's, Pimlico

Warwick Square Warwick Square is a garden square in the Pimlico district of London SW1. Buildings fronting, save for a church, are listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. The private gardens at the centre of the square are Grade II listed on ...

Diocese of London Gothic Revival church buildings in England Grade II* listed churches in the City of Westminster Pimlico Thomas Cundy (junior) church buildings