The Corpus of Percy Bacon & Brothers

St John the Baptist, Holland Rd, Kensington. West Window, 1899. Central image of the Virgin and Child surrounded by angels and Old Testament prophets.
Photo © John Salmon (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Centrl lights: Virgin and Child. Sic Deus Delixit Mundum (For God so loved the world [he gave us his only son] - John 3,16)
Photo © John Salmon (Courtesy Victorian Web)

St John the Baptist, Holland Rd, Kensington. West Window, 1899. Angels surrounding inner circle.
Photo © John Salmon (Courtesy Victorian Web)

Outer circle: Aaron the first High Priest. He wears a tzitz (headress) and a frontlet, and holds his blossoming rod (Numbers 17:8).
Photo © John Salmon (Courtesy Victorian Web)

Outer circle: Daniel.
Photo © John Salmon (Courtesy Victorian Web)

Outer circle: King David.
Photo © John Salmon (Courtesy Victorian Web)

Outer circle: Melchizedek.
Photo © John Salmon (Courtesy Victorian Web)

West (Rose) Window of 1899.
Photo © John Salmon (cc-by-sa/2.0)

St John the Baptist is wedged snugly between the Victorian residential houses and apartments lining the busy Holland Road. It is large, apsidal, and cruciform. Designed by James Brooks, building commenced in 1874 but was not completed until 1909-1911 without the envisaged tower and spire which were never built. The plans were re-worked by Brooks' assistant J S Adkins who enclosed the base of what would have been the west tower with a porch to form a baptistery.¹ Internally the edifice is opulent with elaborate stone, arched screens separating the two side chapels from the chancel, and a rood screen all topped with statues of the apostles and angels holding instruments of the passion. More statues line the walls of the bapitery which depict the foolish virgins. The ceiling is of vaulted stone. The reredos is perhaps one of the most sumptuous in London, if not England.

The rose window high in the west wall of the church facing Holland Road is filled with glass from the Percy Bacon Studio of 1899. In the centre is an image of the seated Virgin and Child around which twelve wedge-shaped opening are filled with angels holding scrolls. On the outer ring are twelve quatrefoil lights each one depicting an Old Testament prophet or patriarch. These are (clockwise from top): Adam, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, King David, Samuel, Aaron, Joseph, Melchizedek, Moses, Abraham, Daniel and Isaiah, each holding his symbol.

Posted 31 December 2022.

Note: All photographs on this page are © Copyright John Salmon and licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. All apart from the full window image are courtesy of The Victorian Web website.

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1. Historic England Official List Entry.
2. Brief History of St John the Baptist at the church's website.
3. Victorian Web website (rose window). Good description of the architecture on the Victorian Web website, and here.