| Description | The Parish of Brentford was founded in 1856 to serve the needs of the growing Catholic population, largely Irish railway builders. Originally based in a former Baptist Chapel in Market Place, the congregation moved to the existing church of St John the Evangelist when it was built in 1866 to designs by a Mr Jackman, about whom little is known. It is characterised by a distinctive squat tower, and contains remnants of early work by JF Bentley.
At the outset the mission was very poor and the church was unadorned. Since construction there have been a series of minor structural changes, chiefly at the western end. In 1879 the Rev J W Redman took charge of the mission and, in 1883, he brought in J F Bentley and N H J Westlake to make improvements. Both men were exceptional and pioneering designers of the late Victorian period. Bentley (1839-1902), best known as the architect of Westminster Cathedral, was also highly accomplished across a range of decorative practices, while N H J Westlake (1833-1921) was best known for his glass work under the firm Lavers and Barraud (later Lavers, Barraud and Westlake), later in his life publishing authoritative works on the history of design in painted glass and mural painting. The two men were close friends, and often collaborated.
Bentley's first work for the church was the building of a low enclosing wall at the front, and the following year he produced the high altar, throne and reredos. Bentley was also responsible for the glazed timber narthex screen at the west end. Bentley designed the window nearest the Lady altar, depicting St John administering communion to the Virgin at her Coronation; the painter was N H J Westlake, as indicated by an inscription along the lower panel. The trefoil in the east window (St John) is by Paul Woodroffe, possibly of 1903; at the east end of the north aisle is a Victorian altar with carved Gothic detail; other statuary and stations are conventional, including the Sacred Heart and Our Lady, whose shrines terminate each end of the north aisle, and St Anthony and St John, located to the centre of the north aisle. Aside from the narthex screen and the window design near the Lady altar, most of Bentley's work in the church has since been destroyed, so the collection of postcards in the parish box collection comprise a valuable record of his work. Indeed, some of the captions on the postcards describe St John the Evangelist, Brentford, as Bentley's 'First Church'.
The main entrance to the church was originally located at the west face of the tower, in a pointed arched recess which now accommodates a window. Sometime after 1947, it was moved to be in the centre of the narthex, and a porch was added to harmonise with the original building. In 2008, the entrance was moved again (for reasons of safe access), to the south side of the porch (with polychrome decoration designed by Anthony Delarue, designed to be in keeping with the Victorian fabric). The window which had been located at the south elevation of the porch was then moved to the front. In 1947 a plan was also prepared to add a south aisle and confessionals but this scheme was reduced to a pair of confessionals, projecting on the south side. It is thought that this work was carried out in the 1950s. It was possibly also around this time that the decoration on the walls was painted out. Investigative work was undertaken by Howell and Bellion (under Anthony Delarue Associates), revealed vestiges of at least two phases of former decorative schemes in the sanctuary. Subsequently, stencil decoration in the sanctuary was recreated, to include various patterned leaf and flower motifs, geometric patterning, and four stencilled niches, to accommodate the four evangelists and their symbols. An earlier phase of this scheme removed overpainting from Bentley’s carved wooden screen, which was restored to its original colour scheme.
The parish centre, behind the presbytery, was built in 1972-3 and was designed by Clive Broad, ARIBA. While the church itself is now Grade II listed, the presbytery and parish centre to the rear are not. |