William Butterfield’s mosaics at
All Saints, Harrow Weald
Butterfield’s 1890 work at All Saints:
Painted ceiling panels
Mosaics on the east wall of the nave
Mosaic panels on the reredos
behind the altar:
The scroll motif in tiny detail, in Butterfield’s characteristic colours.
The tiles were made by the Minton factory
Butterfield is one of the foremost Victorian architects
He is also very individual; no one else designed in a similar manner
This is one reason why All Saints is a Grade II* Listed Building
All Saints is unusual because it was one of his early churches,
when it was built in 1849, and was also enlarged
and redecorated by him in 1890,
near the end of his career
Butterfield’s mosaics are themselves unusual
But there’s more…………………..
What’s under the paint on the east
wall of the sanctuary?
During much of the 20th century Butterfield’s
reputation was low and his decorative schemes
were concealed –
‘Whitewash is the instinctive suggestion,
although its effect on any major Butterfield interior is
disastrous, like an organ played with
half the stops missing’
The only known photograph
of the wall before it was
painted over in 1957:
It is completely covered in
mosaic work, in alternating
geometric panels and scrolls,
with a great flourish at the top
And if you look closely you can see the mosaic pieces under the flaking paint
Careful and fully documented experiments have shown that the paint can be
taken off without damaging the underlying surface
And the motifs and colour scheme match everything else designed by Butterfield
for All Saints
Butterfield’s work in other places
(spot the similarities) St Mary in Castro, Dover Castle
(work done in 1888)
Scrolls
Mosaic panels
Reredos
Christleton, Chester: mosaic reredos, scroll panels on wall, polished ‘English
marble’ (Derby Fossil) steps, communion rails – Butterfield, 1876
Butterfield mosaics:
Fulham Palace Chapel, 1867
Babbacombe c1873
Keble College Chapel, Oxford, 1876
St Michael, Portsmouth (demolished)
Ottery St Mary, 1878
West Tarring, 1885
Dover Castle, St Mary in Castro 1888
All Saints, Harrow Weald, 1890
St Mary, Dundela, Belfast, 1890
Christleton reredos panel, 1893-6
Leeds reredos panel, 1893-6
IT WILL COST £12,000 TO CLEAN THE MOSAICS
ON THE SANCTUARY WALL
But……
If the wall is divided into 600 parts at £20 each
everyone can take part in the project
Every donor’s name will be recorded
on a permanent plan of the wall
LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN