221005 MArys D&AStatement - Flipbook - Page 10
2.9.5 Church Hall
The church hall was built in the early 20th century to
the north of the chancel. Its steep-pitched roof form
sits on the same axis as the main church. The brick
and stone details match the wider church. Internally
the church hall is a large room with a tall ceiling that
goes partly into the pitch of the roof.
2.9.8 St Mary’s Centre
The St Mary’s Centre constructed at the east end in
2005 accommodates a disabled WC, kitchenette and a
small consultation room. It connects to both the choir
vestry and the sacristy.
Internally, the walls are plastered and painted; the
floors are tiled. There is some evidence of the original
fabric in a short section of the external wall of the apse,
and five stone steps leading up to the sacristy. The
external wall has, however, been painted with a modern
paint. The entrance space is top lit by a pitched
skylight, which has a sloping ridge. This spans
between the east face of the apse and the façade of
the St Mary’s Centre. Externally, the ridge of this
skylight collides with the stone dressing to the main
east window of the chancel and its brick sill and
supporting stone band.
2.9.6 Undercroft
The undercroft sits below the chancel and is
accessed by a spiral staircase in the transept tower.
It is used by the St Mary’s Brewery, to house the
organ blower, for services distribution and for
storage. It is built as a series of brick arches and
columns, which rest on inverted arch foundations.
There is a concrete slab in between the inverted
arches. The ceiling above is a concrete slab,
probably retrofitted, and an early use of structural
concrete. The first reinforced concrete building in
the UK using Portland cement was built in 1854. It
became increasingly used during the second half of
the 19th century.
2.9.7 West end building
The single-storey building at the east end has little
street presence externally. On the north side, on
King Henry’s Road, it presents a small blank red
brick wall to the right of the entrance; on the south
side, it is set back and concealed behind a shed.
Internally, the accommodation of kitchen and wcs in
the west end are serviceable but in need of
upgrading.
The church hall
The façade is built of a soft red brick, which is a good
colour match to the church and has some moulded
details, string-courses and a corbelled parapet. These
loosely replicate some of the details of the demolished
ambulatory. The main entrance door is glazed with a
low-quality door. It has a Romanesque arched head
and a bulls-eye window, which have no relationship
with the architecture of the Victorian church.
Entrance to the St Mary’s Centre
The scale of the door leads to some confusion as it is
often mistaken for the main entrance to the church.
The extension has a dominant presence but offers little
accommodation.
In terms of access, the St Mary’s Centre provides level
access to the church hall, as well as to a new disabled
wc. However, there is no connection to the rest of the
church, which has a floor level 800mm higher.
The building is in need of refurbishment, requiring
internal decoration, repair to the leaking skylight, and
works to repair cracks to the facade. It is difficult for the
church or Mary’s to justify this investment, as the
building in its current form does not meet their needs.
St Mary’s Centre lobby
The brewery in the undercroft
Mary’s, Primrose Hill
The west end kitchen
Dow Jones Architects