ST PHILIP THE APOSTLE
SOUTH TOTTENHAM
Philip Lane
Postcode : N15 4HJ
Location : TQ 32888 89490
St Philip the Apostle Church was built 1906-1907 to a design by architects J.P. & J.E.K. Cutts.
Postcode : N15 4HJ
Location : TQ 32888 89490
St Philip the Apostle Church was built 1906-1907 to a design by architects J.P. & J.E.K. Cutts.
Description of the building
Gothic. Red brick with stone dressings
The stone-laying ceremony
"Amid a large concourse of people and a drizzle of rain, the Lord Mayor of London laid the foundation stone of the permanent Church of St. Philip the Apostle, Philip on Saturday afternoon last. The weather has been all times been unkind to this church for seeding a number of nearly all the special occasions in the past having been marred by climatic conditions. On Saturday last an awning had been erected over the platform in front of the stone, but no other protection against the weather had been provided. Along the Philip-lane frontage some attempt had been made at decoration with bunting, and the motto "Welcome". - There was a large crowd outside, and a large attendance inside At three o'clock the Right Hon. Wm Vaughan Morgan, the Lord Mayor of London, accompanied by the Lady Mayoress and Sheriff Swallman, arrived in his carriage, accompanied by his customary retinue and insignia. He was received by the Venerable Archdeacon of London (the Rev. W.M. Sinclair) ... Some confusion was occasioned at the outset by the Lord Mayor's request that the service should be conducted in the iron building, and this change shut out the greater number of those present from attending the service. Many got no further than the doorway, among those being our representative, who only heard snatches of Archdeacon Sinclair's address ... [he] briefly sketched the eight year history of St Philip's. During that time there had been an extraordinary increase in the number of inhabitants, whci at the start stood at 1,000, and was now over 8,000. He could not speak too highly of the present missioner, Mr Evill. The temporary building has been crowded Sunday after Sunday, and wonderful success had been achieved among the children and young people. Everything was now ready for the church proper and many present had long looked forward to that day. They were very grateful to the Lord Mayor for undertaking such a journey in such unpropitious weather to show his practical sympathy with their work by laying the foundation stone ... A procession was then formed, and the Lord Mayor proceeded to the Philip-lane end of the site, where he "well and truly laid the foundation stone with the usual ceremony". His Lordship performed the ceremony in a very adroit fashion, with a silver trowel, suitably inscribed and presented to him, being a personal gift to the Rev. R.C. Evill from the firm of Dobsons and Sons of Piccadilly. In a bottle beneath the stone was a silk purse, containing silver and bronze coins of the realm, a copy of St. Philip's Magazine for February, and a history of the church to date, together with details of the stone-laying, and list of clergy, written on parchment by Mr J.H. M'Guire ... The church, when completed, with seat 750 people and will cost £7,500. At present only the nave and aisles will be erected, and this portion of the building will seat 500 people. The cost of the first part will be £5,000, towards the cost of which £1,500 has now been collected. The stone laid on Saturday is in the west end of the nave. The building will be red brick with stone dressings. The architects are Messrs Cutts Bros., and the builders Messrs Dove Brothers ... It is expected that the first part of the building will be completed by the end of the year ... " - Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald, Friday 16 February 1906, p. 8.
Later in the year the church was consecrated, the ceremony reported in Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald, Friday 14 December 1906, p. 10.
The name on the stone
Sir Walter Vaughan Morgan (1931-1916).
"Lord Mayor 1905-6. Master 1911. Morgan was also a liveryman of the Loriners’ Company. The son of an old established family of wool staplers in Wales which had suffered reverses, he entered Christ’s Hospital at the age of nine. On leaving school he embarked on a career in banking and with his brothers founded the well-known firm of Morgan Brothers. He was elected Alderman for Cordwainer Ward in 1892 and had a distinguished civic career. He was noted for his generosity to charities and gave particularly long and valuable service to Christ’s Hospital where he held the position of Treasurer." - information from the Worshipful Company of Cutlers
"Lord Mayor 1905-6. Master 1911. Morgan was also a liveryman of the Loriners’ Company. The son of an old established family of wool staplers in Wales which had suffered reverses, he entered Christ’s Hospital at the age of nine. On leaving school he embarked on a career in banking and with his brothers founded the well-known firm of Morgan Brothers. He was elected Alderman for Cordwainer Ward in 1892 and had a distinguished civic career. He was noted for his generosity to charities and gave particularly long and valuable service to Christ’s Hospital where he held the position of Treasurer." - information from the Worshipful Company of Cutlers
The architect
The firm founded by J.E.K. Cutts were prolific church architects. In the London Borough of Haringey the firm were also the architects for St Mary's Lansdowne Road, Tottenham.
The builder
"Dove Brothers Ltd was a prominent construction company based in Islington from 1781 to 1993 which worked with most of the major architects of the late 19th to 20th century. The company was founded by William Spencer Dove (1793-1869). He began as a jobbing builder and carpenter and his first major commission was the Islington Literary and Scientific Society building. His sons formed the Dove Brothers partnership in 1852 and expanded the business. Between 1858 and 1900, the company constructed 130 churches and from the 1870s onwards, built other buildings including banks, industrial premises and public buildings, predominantly in London but also across England and occasionally abroad." - From the guide to the Dove Brothers Ltd, builders, 1850-1970, (Islington Local History Centre).
Although the Dove Brothers built extensively in the London area, there are not many examples of their work in the London Borough of Haringey, apart from St Philip the Apostle. A comprehensive list of the projects undertaken by the firm is published in the official history of the the firm, David Braithwaite's Building in the Blood (London : Cave, 1981) and from this is gleaned:-
Crouch End : Christ Church, additions (1906)
Crouch End : Christ Church schools, additions (completed 1878)
Crouch End : villas for J. Lewis (completed 1879)
Highgate : 3 The Grove, conversion for J.B. Priestley (1931)
Highgate : house in Broadlands Road (completed 1885)
Highgate : St Augustine, rebuilding after fire (1925), restoration (1937)
Muswell Hill : St James', war damage repairs (1951)
South Tottenham : Imperial Lager Brewery (completed 1899)
South Tottenham : St Bartholomew (completed 1905)
South Tottenham : St Philip the Apostle, new nave and west end (1906)
Tottenham : Tottenham College, Principal's residence (completed 1883)
Wood Green : St Michael's Church, new chancel, tower and steeple (completed 1874), war damage repairs (1952)
Although the Dove Brothers built extensively in the London area, there are not many examples of their work in the London Borough of Haringey, apart from St Philip the Apostle. A comprehensive list of the projects undertaken by the firm is published in the official history of the the firm, David Braithwaite's Building in the Blood (London : Cave, 1981) and from this is gleaned:-
Crouch End : Christ Church, additions (1906)
Crouch End : Christ Church schools, additions (completed 1878)
Crouch End : villas for J. Lewis (completed 1879)
Highgate : 3 The Grove, conversion for J.B. Priestley (1931)
Highgate : house in Broadlands Road (completed 1885)
Highgate : St Augustine, rebuilding after fire (1925), restoration (1937)
Muswell Hill : St James', war damage repairs (1951)
South Tottenham : Imperial Lager Brewery (completed 1899)
South Tottenham : St Bartholomew (completed 1905)
South Tottenham : St Philip the Apostle, new nave and west end (1906)
Tottenham : Tottenham College, Principal's residence (completed 1883)
Wood Green : St Michael's Church, new chancel, tower and steeple (completed 1874), war damage repairs (1952)