It is recorded that
St Augustine of Canterbury
built his original Christian monastery of Christ Church on an old Roman
basilica. Originally, a basilica was a King's palace, but to the
Romans, it became a hall in which justice was administered, a hall with
a nave, aisles and surrounding galleries, and a semi-circular apse at
one end. Roman built basilicas were later adapted for use as Christian
Churches. The plans for St Augustine's were drawn up by architect W A H
Masters in typical basilica style. The church is one of the very
few churches built in this style in the south west of England.
The nave
consists of six wide bays plus half a bay at the west end of the building.
The most western bay is now taken up by the Parish Room, and the most
Eastern forms the choir. The nave arches are rounded and are
typical of Romanesque architecture. Close study of the
original design shows that
the outer nave walls were intended to be a temporary construction, and the Stonehouse faced brickwork is not so thick where it was hoped later
extensions would be added. Above each bay is the clerestory - four
bays (three on the south side) have triple windows in the Romanesque style,
while two are solid brick wall where the transepts were intended to be.
The double-arch
of the final bay is where the choir is situated - surrounded by aisles which
were once used for processions around the church. That on the south
side is blocked by the new organ console. The choir is surrounded by a
brick and stone screen, with iron railings situated on top. The pulpit
and lectern are an integral part of the design. This area of the
church is used when there are smaller congregations, the new candlesticks
adding atmosphere to occasion.
At the far east
end is the apse - polygonal on the outside, but semi-circular inside. The symbols in the mosaic sanctuary flooring
left front of the main altar are of a basket of bread and fish, which represent
eternal life and Christianity. Between the Greek signs for Alpha
(beginning) and Omega (end) are seven golden candlesticks, which stand
for the seven churches of Asia, and on the right are grapes,
representing the fruit of the vine. The symbols on the lectern and
pulpit remind us that Jesus Christ conquers through the cross.
To the south of
the apse, there is a wooden processional cross was made and
presented by the personnel of the GWR "AM" shop to the church on 4th May
1936. This was dedicated "To the Glory of God and in memory of George
Frederick West". Mr West was the father of dedicated organist Clayton
West and his sister, assistant organist, Mrs Irene Hayward (then West),
both of whom, like their father, served St Augustine's faithfully for
many years.
The church has six stained glass
windows. The centre Sanctuary window of Jesus the Good Shepherd was
installed in 1911, in memory of Miss Julia Strange, a devoted friend of
Canon Harvey, who lived at Mannington House. She conducted a bible
class, visited the sick and gave generous donations to the church.
The least obvious window, is a circular tracery
light at the east end, which depicts 'The Crown of Life' and is based on
a text from the Book of Revelation 2, verse 10, used at Canon Harvey's
memorial service on 31 May 1931 -
'Be thou faithful unto death and
I will give thee a Crown of Life'
Parishioners and friends erected this, and two
windows, depicting St Augustine standing in front of Canterbury
Cathedral, and St Paul on the road to Damascus, in memory of their
beloved priest. A brass tablet commemorating this gift is just inside
the church.
The other two memorial windows, positioned in
the arch opposite the organ, are of St Peter, dedicated in September
1955 by the Archdeacon, in memory of Mr Ernest Harry Bennett (born 2nd
July 1874, died January 1952), and Jesus, our Lord surrounded by
Children, dedicated in memory of Alfred W G Withers (b. 1897, d. 1958).
Both men were loyal and served the church for many years.
The chapel and large tower in the architect's
original design were never built, but the church has a small bell tower
which originally held two small bells with a combined weight of under
three hundredweight. These were rung individually, the lower toned bell
reminded people that there would soon be a service, and the higher toned
bell was rung nearer the service time. In 1956, these were removed and
single bell weighing four hundredweight was installed in memory of Mr
and Mrs George F West.
The font, originally sited at the church
entrance, was moved to below the lectern in the 1970's when alterations
were made inside the church and the parish room was built. It,
with its base and cover, is an
exact replica of the 12th century late Norman font in St Leonard's
Church, Stanton Fitzwarren. More on the font can be found by
clicking here.
Please click
here to continue to the see the history of the
Church Artwork.
