| Description | The church of St Mary and St Joseph, Poplar, was built between 1951-1954 to replace the original church destroyed along with the presbytery in a bombing raid on 8 December 1940. It was designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott as part of the 'Live' architecture exhibition of the Festival of Britain, held in 1951. Its camel vaulted archvies were inspired by older brother Giles Gilbert Scott's unbuilt designs for Coventry Cathedral. The priest's sacristy was converted to a weekday chapel in 1979 in memory of Canon John Wright, who served as parish priest from 1946-1970. The altar to Our Lady is a memorial to Canon Bartholomew O'Doherty, who was parish priest from 1920-1946. Stone reliefs of the Stations of the Cross were created by Peter Watts, and the stained glass in the windows by William Wilson of Edinburgh. Scott himself donated the light pendants, which were to the same pattern as those he designed for the rebuilding of the House of Commons. Regarded as old fashioned when it was first built, the church came to be appreciated as Adrian Scott's finest church designed independently of his brother, and was given Grade II listed building status in 1997.
Practically all the records for the church were destroyed when it was bombed during the Second World War. |