The Corpus of Percy Bacon & Brothers

St John the Evangelist, Brunswick Square, Herne Bay, Kent. Demolished 1974.
PD image from a postcard in the author's collection.

St John the Evangelist, Brunswick Square, Herne Bay, Kent. Demolished 1974.
PD image from a postcard in the author's collection.

St John the Evangelist, Brunswick Square, Herne Bay, Kent. Demolished 1974.
PD image from a postcard in the author's collection.

An advert which appeard in the Herne Bay Press on 23 July 1898 promoting the upcoming ceremony of laying the foundation stone.

Ordnance Survey map of 1906 showing the location of St John's Church.
Image reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland CC-BY license.

St John the Evangelist, Brunswick Square, Herne Bay. PD image.

Posted 05 January 2023

It seems that the Church of St John the Evangelist was a project long in the making. As early as 1850 a plan to build a church in Brunswick Square was in place, and building work had commenced. However, that project stalled and the partially built walls, standing at about 12 feet in height, were removed and bricks auctioned off in 1874.^[fn1] It would not be until June of 1896 that revised plans were put in hand to build a new church, a much needed addition to relieve the crowding within Christ Church, especially during the summer months when many visitors were drawn to the new watering hole of Herne Bay.

In 1898 work on St John the Evangelist was begun in the location envisaged for the previous project on the central green of Brunswick Square, the land having been gifted by Sir Henry Oxenden.¹ The design for the nave was by R. Philip Day, the diocesan architect, and the later chancel and transepts by W. H. James, with oak choir stalls designed by T. W. Watkins.² Later additions included a carved oak screen to the narthex (1907-8) executed by the Bromsgrove Guild, which was gifted by a Miss Watkins in memory of her sister and contained the arms of the Watkins family, and a vestibule (1904) given by the children's service. The building works initially costing £6,577.^{3 4} The foundation stone was laid by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Horatio Davies, MP, on 28 July 1898.⁵ Later additions included the The church provided accommodation for 800 and was consecrated by the Bishop of Dover on 25 July 1899.⁵ The initial design called for a tower at the west end but (as was often the case) lack of funds meant this was never realised. In the initial phase of work only the nave and aisles were built, the chancel and transepts being added in 1903 once further funds had become available.⁷ By then, a total of £11,000 was reported as having been raised by public subscription, and it is apparent from the photobgraph below, and in the subsequent images in the slide show, that the church was beautifully constructed, its interior of brick and finely dressed stone. The church was declared redundant in 1972 and demolished in 1974.⁸ The site is now occupied by housing.

View of the interior and the east window by Percy Bacon & Brothers, from a postcard in the author's collection postmarked 1912.
It is clear from this image that the church was extremely well built and very well appointed, its interior of brick and finely dressed stone. PD Image

The screen to the narthex. Image published by The Builder's Journal and Architectural Engineer 12th January 1910. PD Image.

The carved oak choir stalls. This picture also includes a two-light window in the east wall of the north transept which may be the location of the third Percy Bacon window. Image published by The Builder's Journal and Architectural Engineer 12th January 1910.
PD Image.

View of the nave, chancel and east window by the Percy Bacon Studio.
From a postcard of circa 1912 in the author's collection. PD Image.

There were at least three windows by Percy Bacon and Brothers in St John the Evangelist. Firstly the east, consisting of five lights, and installed in 1903, with scenes representing the Incarnation of Our Lord; Namely, The Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. In the top round light, the figure of Christ in Glory.

"The first light, beginning at the left depicts in conventional manner the Annunciation or the Message of the archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The second light shows the Nativity or the Holy Family. The Saviour as a babe lies on staw in a stable, the Blessed Virgin and Joseph are guarding Him, while angels sing, "Glory to God in the Highest". The centre light is filled by a representation of the Crucifixion, which is not treated in a naturalistic manner with all the revolting details of cruelty and blood, but rather the Lord reigning upon the Tree. His mother and St John flank the cross, while St Mary Magdalene kneels in humility at our Saviour's feet. A curtain of many colours enshrines the whole as a scene of Royal dignity. The fourth light presents the aristic idea of the Resurrection, the half-sleeping soldiers surrounding the open tomb from which our Lord ascends; while in the fifth or last light; our Lord leaves His disconsolate disciples and ascends to heaven.Llying upon the ground is written the appropriate prophecy of Elijah—'Dominus Hodie Toilet Dominum Tuumiate.' Underneath each light a scroll is held by angels inscribed with sentences from the Creed. Under the first or Anriunciation light are the "Qui Conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto." The second or Nativity light has the sentence "Natus eat Maria Virgine." Under the Crucifixion are the words "Passus Sub Pontio Pilato, Tertio die Resunexit a Mortuis - illustrating the Resurrection, and "Ascenditt ad Coelos" finish the story of our Lord's career on earth. The tracery or ornamental openings above the chief lights represent our Lord in heaven when "He sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty," - enthroned in majesty surrounded by the adoring Heavenly Host. The memorial inscription running through the whole five lights at the base of each is as follows: "To the of God and to the most dear memory of David James and Alice Ann Jenkins, this window is erected by their loiving daughter Sophie Alice."

The window was consecrated at the same time as the new chancel by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 19th November 1903.⁷ A second window in the chantry (or chapel, possibly the north aisle), also installed in 1903 depicted the church's patron, St John the Baptist, a lamb at his feet, and St John the Evangelist with his symbols, an eagle and a chalice. The window cost £72 10s, and was paid for from subscriptions raised by those attending the Young People's services,⁹ and was dedicated in the insciption, "To the Glory of God. A gift from the Young People's Service".¹⁰

The Bacon Studios would return in 1905 to install the third window, this time of two lights (position unknown) depicting the figures of St Peter and St James in canopied niches. This window was inaugurated on Easter Monday 1905.¹¹ Between the two lights Percy Bacon also manufactured and installed a dedication brass. The window was given by a Miss Laxton of York Road, Herne Bay.¹²

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1. Herne Bay Press - Saturday 23 July 1898, p6.
2. The Builder's Journal and Architectural Engineer; 12 January 1910, p32.
3. Homan, Roger. The Victorian Churches of Kent, p64. Pillimore & Co. pub 1984
4. The Builder, 27 August 1898, p195.
5. London Illustrated News, 06 August 1898. Herne Bay Press - Saturday 30 July 1898, p3.
6. The Times, 26 July 1899, p8.
7. The Times, 20 November 1903, p7. See also Herne Bay Press - Saturday 21 November 1903, p2.
8. Loves Guide to the Church Bells of Kent. Herne Bay, St John entry..
9. Herne Bay Press - Saturday 28 November 1903, p5. The article, though mentioning the window's location as the chantry (or chapel), does not state the subject matter. However, another article (Ref 10) reports that it depicted St John the Evangelist.
10. Herne Bay Press - Saturday 21 November 1903, p2.
11. The Builder Vol 88 29 April 1905, p474.
12. The Builder Vol 89 11 Nov 1905, p474. Also: Herne Bay Press - Saturday 06 May 1905, p5. The latter article mentions a third window depicting St John the Evangelist, but fails to mention the studio that executed it. However, the article does state that this is, "the third window [in the church]", so it can safely be assumed all three were by Percy Bacon & Brothers.
    

Footnote:

The building described and illustrated above appears to have been the second attempt at erecting a new church. The 23rd July 1898 edition of the Herne Bay Press reported the fate of the previous plan thus:

The article goes on to report that in 1874 the bricks used for construction were sold at auction. A map published by the Ordnance Survey in 1876 shows the outline of an intended church in an unfinished square. Ordnance Survey map of 1876 showing the intended location of St John's Church, in the unfinshed Brunswick Square.
Image courtesy of National Library of Scotland CC-BY license.