St Georges Church, Jesmond

Walking Tour of the Church - Part One

Exterior of the Church
View of St Georges Church, Jesmond The church was built in the Early English Style, and has a remarkably unified design. From the outside, it may not appear particularly outstanding, but the fine tower, a bold interpretation of the campanile of St Mark's, Venice (which Spence had visited) symbolises the restrained magnificence of this building, the visitor is encouraged to observe the superb carvings below the arcade. The tower is 154 feet high, and was originally topped by a thirty foot iron cross which unfortunately became dangerous and was replaced in the 1960s by a shorter alloy version. The tower is situated at the south east corner of the building and is virtually detached from the main body of the church. It is clearly visible to those travelling up Osborne Road, and projects well above the surrounding trees with which Jesmond is well blessed. The tower of St George's Church is a well known landmark visible for many miles around Newcastle, it is said you can see it from the hills above Rothbury. At Christmas tide, and other times, the arcade is illuminated from within. The tower has a pyramidal top which harmonises with the steeply pitched main roof.

The decoration is integrated with the structure of the walls, which are made of local sandstone ashlar, from North Brunton quarry near Gosforth, and roof of graduated Lakeland slate, by Amos Gray & Co. Pevsner described it as 'a strong composition, with a high clerestory with five large windows rising from wide aisles with paired lancets, the gable of the south west porch rising over the eaves at one end…. Three east lancets are placed high in the wall; a long two-light west window rises above a wide gentle baptistry, where over a row of lancets is a band of low relief carved with natural forms in the firmly controlled flowing manner found in all other external decoration.' These tall narrow windows with lancets and roundels suggest a combination of French and English early Gothic forms. The smooth masonry is only sparingly relieved by sculptural embellishment:around the base of the tower, at the apex of the west wall, on the south porch and with reliefs above the windows of the baptistry. The decorative style is sophisticated, with flowing curves abstracted from leaf forms and other natural motifs.

The fine ironwork which once surrounded the site has now gone, but the gates at the main entrance give all visitors an idea of the quality of workmanship and design used in St George's. Alfred Shirley made the gates to Spence's design, incorporating the legend Do all to the Glory of God, Spence must have had this exhortation in mind when he designed this lovely building.


West End
The first impression on entering the building from the south door is one of size - the effect is almost that of a small cathedral. The nave is 92 feet long with the chancel extending a further 38 feet. The height of the nave is 64 feet and the width of the building 58 feet. The moulded ribs of the roof of the nave and side aisles are worthy of examination as each beam is painted to fit in with the overall plan of the decoration, an effect of subdued and sensuous colour. The floors throughout are set with fine mosaic in which are set many Christian symbols. The wall mosaics suggest another Italian influence and appear to be based on examples found in Ravenna and elsewhere. It is said that all symbols known to Christian art can be found in this building. The visitor needs to spend a little time looking, for symbols are to be found in walls, floors, ceilings, glass and wood work. It is said that the servants from Jesmond Towers, Mitchell's house, were expected to help in laying the small mosaic chips in the aisles, a task which must have been considered very tedious and unpopular!


Baptistry

Baptistry and font The baptistry is flanked by two beautifully painted windows (tell me more)

The flat roofed baptistry provides an ideal setting for the font of Mexican onyx standing on rouge jasper columns on a base of alabaster. Originally there existed a beautiful iron and copperwork font cover in the style of the entrance gates, but unfortunately this disappeared without trace many years ago.

The ceilings of the nave have already been noted, in the baptistry is another painted ceiling of an entirely different design.

The mosaic floor of the baptistry contains the fish symbol usBaptistry ceilinged from early Christian times to denote the name of Jesus. In the baptistry windows can be seen other symbols: from left to right, a crown and olive branch, a peacock, three fish, a dove with an olive branch, a shield with a lily and an anchor and lamp.


On the west wall above the baptistry is a fine tracery screen, it was added at a later date presumably because the west end was thought to be rather plain. The west window of the Last Judgement is by J W Brown of London. (see the West Window).

Also on this wall is the beautiful bronze of St George, the centrepiece of the relief tracery and made by Spence himself.


The North Aisle
Memorial to Charles Mitchell Worthy of particular note are the five painted panels at the east end of the wooden dado. These were always thought to be the work of Charles William Mitchell (who assisted in the design of the interior decoration) but when these panels were cleaned recently the initials of TR Spence were discovered. These figures are a clear indication of the influence of the pre-Raphaelite movement on Spence who trained and exhibited as an artist before studying architecture.

The north wall contains two memorial tablets. The first was erected to the memory of parishioners killed in the First World War and is by Johnson: the second is by Frampton in memory of the benefactor of the church, Charles Mitchell. The Mitchell memorial incorporates his coat of arms and figures of St Andrew (curiously carrying a shield with Arms of Newcastle) and St George: between these figures are representations of Art, Energy, Truth, Charity and Science. On either side of the simple inscription stand angel figures worked in copper and standing in ships. The right hand figure holds a model of St George and the other a model of the Mitchell Tower and Graduation Hall at Aberdeen University which were given by Mitchell to his native town.



Pulpit Prominent on the north side of the church is the huge pulpit of richly carved oak with decorative hand rail worked in brass. Choir stalls in front of Lady ChapelThe pulpit has rouge jasper pillars on an alabaster base. The carved work of the pulpit, as well as other carving and woodwork in the church was executed by Ralph Hedley who at the time St George's was built had already undertaken other major commissions in Newcastle including the screen and choir stalls in the Cathedral. As a shipbuilder Mitchell would have had access to the finest imported timber: the pews throughout the church are of oak and are remarkable for the length of planks employed in their construction. The screens on either side of the choir and choir stalls are of a similar high quality.

The Lady Chapel is reached from an archway at the west end of the north choir stalls, see above. Originally called the Morning Chapel, this was Mitchell's family chapel and was entered by its own private door (now concealed). The Lady Chapel, which is used for small weekday services, is lit by two windows which continue the style found in the main part of the north aisle


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