St Michael’s, Highgate – A Brief History and Guide
By Sir James Brown, LL. D.,
Former Church Warden of St Michael’s
(Updated in the year 2008)
THE CHURCH
St. Michael’s, Highgate stands higher than any other church in London. As you entered you were all but level with the cross on top of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is not an ancient church. It was consecrated and opened for worship on 8th November 1832. The Architect was Lewis Vulliamy (1791-1871). He was quite a young man whose drawings for the church were exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1831. The design was considered to be an outstanding example of the neo-Gothic style, of which the Architect was a pioneer. It was said of him that he was “far in advance of his contemporaries at a period when Gothic was but little known”.
The builder was Cubbit who completed the construction in eleven months; some feat.
THE CHANTRY CHAPEL (1100-1564)
The hamlet or village of Highgate was not a separate parish before 1832. It lay partly in each of the parishes of Hornsey, Islington and St. Pancras, the churches of which were more than two, three or four miles away. Accordingly, before 1100, when the Bishop of London was given the Manor of Haringey by William the Conquerer, he reserved the southern part of the estate as a hunting-park and settled men in it as huntsmen and foresters. He also appointed a resident priest and gave some eight acres at the very top of the hill as a chantry or hermitage so that a chapel and lodging for the priest could be built there for services.
We know that the chapel was built (almost certainly of timber) and as time passed was enlarged and improved and became the chapel of the village. In 1564 just as Sir Roger Cholmeley was trying to get his proposed school authorised, an Act of Parliament was passed abolishing all chantries everywhere and confiscating the lands belonging to them. So when in 1565, the next year, the Bishop sanctioned the plan and the school was founded, there was nowhere for it to be put. The lands had all been sold; the first thing the School Governors had to do was to buy back the land. Sir Roger Cholmeley had died and it took them five years to recover the property.
BISHOP SANDYS CHAPEL (1578-1832)
When in 1578 Bishop Sandys, newly appointed Bishop of London, came up to Highgate to visit the school founded by his predecessor, he discovered to his dismay that the School and, indeed the village, had no place of worship at all within reasonable reach. So he built at his own cost a chapel on part of the hilltop site all of which was on school properly. It was a substantial brick building with a square tower also of brick, though it had a timber roof supported on oak columns. For 250 years it sufficed to serve the whole community, but early in the 19th century extensive repair was necessary and considerable enlargement was required to hold the growing population.
The chapel was declared unsafe and was pulled down in 1833.
THE PRESENT CHURCH, BUILT IN 1832
Over the years the (Highgate) School Governors, who were leading residents and, as Governors the owners of the buildings, had come to regard looking after a school of 40 boys as far less important a role than being responsible for the whole community. They proposed to rebuild the chapel with school funds. Immediately there was uproar. This would be, it was claimed, a misuse of charitable funds. The Governors had proposed a bill in Parliament, but this was thrown out. Court proceedings were taken and eventually the Lord Chancellor, Lord Eldon, gave judgement that the chapel and the eight acres of burial ground did in fact belong to the school, and a new St. Michael’s should be built elsewhere in the village
The site chosen for the church was the semi derelict Ashurst House which had been the seat of Sir William Ashurst. The brick foundations of that house may still be seen in the crypt together with the remains of the wine cellar. As you approached the church you may have noticed that the corbels of the arch over the West door were carved. These, though weathered, are the arms of Bishop Edmund Grindal and of Sir Roger Cholmeley.
The cost of the new church was £8,171 (£425,000 at year 2000 prices), in other words it was built as economically as possible. The cost of construction per seat was £5.25. A similar church by the Architect in Kensington was £f8.30 per seat. The Church Building Commissioners contributed £4,811, the Incorporated Society for Church Building provided £500. The Governors of the School contributed £2,000 which they raised from the sale of the land that had been used as a burial ground and would then be freed for development. The remainder was raised by subscriptions from the parishioners. In return for the contribution from the School the Governors and the boys of the school had seats reserved for them in the new church. The school built their own new chapel in 1868.
THE EXTERIOR
The spire, which is a landmark on the northern skyline from the hills south of London, gives a grace
and dignity to the whole frontal elevation. It is of Bath stone surmounted by a cross of Portland stone. During the war (1939-1945) the church was damaged by blast and this cross had to be taken down. When after the war the building was restored, the cross was as fresh as the day it was cut, but the Bath stone had suffered from the weather and had to be extensively repaired.
The roofs, three in number, are shallow and slated and concealed by a stone parapet with pinnacles. There had to be three roofs because a single roof spanning the whole width of the building would have produced a lateral thrust beyond the strength of the outside walls to withstand. So the main roof (carried on timber trusses) is supported on clerestory walls borne on internal pillars leaving two separate side-aisle roofs supported on cast iron girders. It should be added, that the clock, with a very fine copper face, and the tower bell were given early in the 19th century by an ironmaster, George Crayshaw who lived on Highgate Hill.
THE INTERIOR
Inside the church as you stand at the back you see the original design as modified by alterations made since 1832. The original intention was to accommodate 1500 people. There were to be 500 free seats and 1000 seats to let, the rents from which would pay for the Vicar’s stipend and certain expenses. It is recorded that the church finally seated 1557 persons. The number has certainly been reduced since by the creation of the present chancel, by the chapel beyond the screen on the right and by taking away some pews both from both the front and the back of the church.
You will also notice the columns or pillars already referred to which some members of the congregation regret because they impede the view of the altar. However, they support the central roof.
The serried rows of pews in two halves of the nave, the side aisles and gallery are typical of most churches of the period when St. Michael’s was built. They extend from a finely carved stone font on your right, with its modem font cover, to the pulpit.
This was built high to enable the preacher to speak directly to the occupants of the gallery as well as to those in any other part of the church. In the eighteen thirties when the church was built the sacrament of the word was deeply cherished, but towards the end of the nineteenth century the importance of music and ritual came to be more and more widely appreciated. This was no doubt partly a result of the influence of the Tractarian movement, an influence which extended to every parish throughout England and not least to urban churches which would have called themselves strongly Evangelical. Thus when St. Michael’s was built there was no robed choir. Choir practices did not begin until 1865. There was no chancel, only the Sanctuary until 1881 when the east end of the church was extended and the provision of choir stalls was made.
At the back of the church (the west end) and to your left as you face the altar, there is a model of the church (in a glass case) and close by, there are framed prints of both the exterior elevation and interior of the church all as it was in 1832.
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
Chief of all the monuments in the church is the green stone slab in the central aisle in memory of Coleridge, his wife, and their daughter with her husband (Coleridge’s nephew) and her son. It has on it a quotation written by Coleridge himself when he knew he was dying. The original grave of Coleridge was in the little graveyard at the top of the High Street, but when the new school chapel was built in 1868 it overhung the Coleridge vault which then became neglected. A fund, much of it from the United States of America, was raised by an English novelist, Ernest Raymond and on 6th June 1961 his remains were reburied in the crypt of St. Michael’s. The Poet Laureate, John Masefield, gave the address at the unveiling of the stone.
Coleridge certainly worshiped in the church in the eighteen months which elapsed between the consecration and his death.
To your left (on the north wall) there is an additional memorial to Coleridge and to Dr. James Gillman and his wife with whom Coleridge lived in Highgate for the last nineteen years of his life.
THE EAST WINDOW
The eye of the visitor today will be lifted first to the great east window with its modern adaptation of the finest medieval stained glass and to the decorative colouring of the Chancel wall each side.
An East window was in the original design, although there was no Chancel, only the Sanctuary. The first window represented the Entombment and the Ascension and was given by the assistant minister of the old chapel. It seems not to have been liked. At the end of the 1880s it was replaced by a Rod of Jesse window by Charles Ensor Kempe (1837-1927), a noted stained glass artist. In 1944 a flying bomb in Waterlow Park shattered the window; the rescued fragments were re-erected in the window to the left of the East window.
The present East window is one of the last achievements of Evie Hone (1894-1955). It represents the Last Supper, the washing of Peter’s feet and the creeping away of Judas with his money bag. Above in the tracery of the window are numerous symbols of the passion and of the Christian church. The visitor will find these described on the table at the back of the church. Miss Hone’s chief works are to be seen in Lanercost Abby in Cumbria, Downe in Kent, in the Eton College Chapel and in the Jesuits’ Church in Farm Street, Mayfair. Her last window may be seen at Wellingborough. The window in St. Michael’s is a supreme example of her devotional art.
It was sent by air from Dublin and erected by Mr A. P. Robinson, the Church Architect, together with Mr Maurice Dove of Messrs. Dove the builders. Miss Hone herself was too ill ever to see it.
THE CHANCEL, SANCTUARY AND CHAPEL
The creation of the Chancel, the enlargement of the Sanctuary and the decoration of the East wall were the work of Temple Moore (1856-1920), a pupil and associate of Gilbert Scott. He was a church architect of eminence. The wall colouring and the retable with its cross and four carved figures of Saints of the early Church make a frame enhancing the splendour of the sunlit window. The Saints are Athanasius (signifying the Faith), Augustine of Hippo (care of the poor), Chrysostom (preaching), and Jerome (the translator of the Bible).
In the Sanctuary is the Episcopal Seat by the famous wood-carver Thompson of Kilburn, Yorkshire, whose trade mark is to include a mouse within his carvings.
In the choir you will find a unique set of cushions. These together with the Altar frontals and all the other embroidered work were designed by Miss Sylvia Green and carried out by members of the parish.
In the chapel on the South side, the window by Charles Kempe is of St. Michael. The majority of the memorial plates are in memory of those killed in the Great War (1914-1918) with the parish War memorial at the entrance to the chapel.
THE ORGAN
The organ was built originally at the west end of the gallery n 1842 by Messrs. Gray & Davidson at a cost of £700. It was paid for mainly by a double pew rent for one year. Since then it has undergone four rebuilds and a move to the Chancel. In 1859 it was cleaned and lowered to a new position in the gallery. Again in 1873 the instrument was cleaned and modernised.
After the enlargement of the Sanctuary in 1881, the dramatic introduction at the east end of a surpliced choir, with 18 boys in addition to the men, accentuated the distance between organ, choir and congregation. A report, circulated to all parishioners in 1883, recommended a new, or almost new organ, in the east end behind the choir. It took twelve months and much persuasion for the project to catch the imagination and resources of the parish. Finally Messrs. Gray & Davidson were employed to build an organ which cost £643 and was dedicated in 1885.
In 1911, following the complete breakdown of the organ on several occasions, Messrs. Brindley & Foster were contracted to rebuild and enlarge the instrument at a cost of £900. ln 1958 a further rebuild was undertaken by the firm Rest Cartwright at a cost of £4000 which included a detached console on the north side of the Altar with the player facing west.
By 1977 the organ was a sad and dim reflection of its former character. Thus in 1985 the decision was made for a comprehensive rebuild incorporating the best of the old pipe work into the organ you see now. The builders Nicholson of Malven by careful design have been able to contain the organ within one bay. The organ contains 58 drawstops and 2523 pipes. Detailed specifications and the history of the organ are contained in a pamphlet at the west end of the church.
THE MEMORIALS
The “Steinway” grand pianoforte is a gift of the parishioners to commemorate three young sisters who had many friends in Highgate. They were daughters of a former Curate of the Parish from 1985 to 1988. The children were pupils at the parish school and members of the choir. The girls died in their sleep as a result of fumes from a fire which destroyed Chilmark Vicarage, Wiltshire.
At the West end of the church you will find a number of 18th century memorials from the old chapel. The most noteworthy is above the West end gallery, the memorial to John Schoppens (1720), a wealthy Dutch merchant who was naturalised by Act of Parliament of Charles II. His daughter married a John Edwards and they lived in Ashurst House, the site of which was to become the site of St. Michael’s Church. John Edwards (his son having pre-deceased him) left Ashurst House to his grandchildren who joined with their children to sell the site to the Church Building Commissioners in 1831. The memorial (1761) to John Edwards and his wife is in the tower room over the porch of the church.
Under the gallery on the South and on the West walls are other memorials removed from the old chapel: Sir Edward Gould who endowed the almshouses; Rebecca Pauncefort wife of the man who built them and Samuel Forster; but these have antiquarian interest only. Some monuments of later date than 1832 are especially noteworthy. They include inscribed memorials to George Kinderley, the barrister who succeeded in getting St. Michael’s built, to Dr. James Gillman, who took Coleridge into his care and to Coleridge, written by Gillman.
There is a book on the table at the back of the church listing all the memorials and their locations in the church.
THE ADJOINING PARISH ROOMS
During the early 1980’s the Parochial Church Council and the congregation of St. Michael’s Church felt the great need to provide a new Church Hall adjacent to the Church itself. This was necessary for the broader social and educational aspects of Parish life.
Having looked at the various options including the use of the area under the Church itself the decision in 1985 was to build on the North side of the Church. The finances were raised through the selling of the old Church hall next to St. Michael’s school and the remainder by a wide appeal to the congregation and residents of Highgate.
Melville Poole the Architect was chosen to design and supervise the building of the new centre, which was completed in 1988. This fine new building has added greatly to the life of St. Michael’s Church. Knowing the needlework skills in Highgate, the Architect anticipated that the high brick wall of the staircase would be the right place for an embroidery to bring warmth and contrasting colour and texture to the building. Sylvia Green and the St. Michael’s Embroidery Group decided that the embroidered panel should depict the Church surrounded by characteristic buildings in the village and by such landmarks as Highgate Cemetery and Kenwood House. The outlook from the upper room to the South is over the catacombs of Highgate West Cemetery towards the City of London.
It is sad to relate that Melville Poole died within a few months of the completion of the work. His name and the names of all those who worked on the building are recorded in a mural plaque by the entrance of the new extension.
EXTERIOR FLOODLIGHTING
The site chosen for the Church, although higher than that of any other church in London, has one major disadvantage. Because the Church was set well back from South Grove it was, after dark, obscure and hardly noticeable.
An appeal to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II by floodlighting the tower, steeple and west end was launched n 2002. Further lighting of the whole of the forecourt may at some time be undertaken.
The congregation, the Church’s neighbours and many associated with Highgate responded generously to the appeal and £25000 was raised. The work was completed in the summer of 2003 and the lighting formally switched on after choral Evensong at the patronal festival on 28th September 2003.
