Church of St Anne, Fawley Court Fawley, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

FAWLEY

1185/0/10008 MARLOW ROAD 28-SEP-09 Church of St Anne, Fawley Court

II St Anne's Polish Roman Catholic Church, 1971-73. Built to the designs of the architect Wladislaw Tadeusz Jeorge Jarosz under the patronage of Prince Stanislaw Albrecht Radziwill as a memorial to his mother Anne, Princess Lubomirska (1881-1947), also as a college chapel and as a church for the Congregation of Marian Fathers.

MATERIALS: Red brick in both English bond and Stretcher bond for structural and freestanding walls; laminated timber for the structural frame with tongue and groove boarding; steel plates and joints; clear plate glass windows; all under a ribbed copper roof.

PLAN: An irregular polygonal plan although broadly wedge-shaped, narrowing to east. Triangular crypt and narthex to the west, irregular worship space (which combines the nave and chancel) and irregular sacristy and offices to east, behind the altar. Chapel to north-east. Confessionals at south-west corner. External east altar on raised plinth under a later canopy.

EXTERIOR: Of irregular form. Entrance west elevation: low horizontal block providing access to narthex and crypt with decorative iron gates to crypt with eagle plaques representing the arms of the Radziwill family, the Polish Royal House, comprising a black eagle with the Traby, a three-horns symbol, in the centre. Recessed brick wall with crucifix and plain glazing divided into vertical panels to south. Above and set-back from this is an angled canopy with similar glazing to west and centre. Large expanse of ribbed copper roof to centre and south terminating in a triangular glazed and brick south gable. Further glazed triangular gable set-back at the apex of the roof. East elevation: triangular brick gable under copper roof with irregular window at apex; offset cross to south. Stepped concrete platform for external altar under metal framed polycarbonate cover (this is not of special interest). North low, flat-roofed projection (part of the nave internally).

INTERIOR: A striking interior in timber and exposed brick, oriented correctly with the altar to the east. Roof with timber ribs and close planked ceiling which reaches almost to ground level and is subtly lit by uplighters. Roof form and sparing use of modest glazing carefully directs natural light to fall in key areas including the sanctuary. Exposed brick walls used throughout but particularly noticeable given their angular form as an altar backdrop and behind the statue of Saint Anne. Altar set on a polygonal stepped brick platform which serves to bring it closer to the congregation. Small chapel to Saint Faustyna to the north of the altar. Access to the sacristy and offices via a solid planked wooden door to the south of the altar opening into a hallway off which are various small rooms and storage cupboards; other doors are also solid planked doors. Again the predominant material is timber, although the 'reredos' wall forms the west wall of the hallway. Glazed doors lead out to the external altar but are hidden from it by a brick screen wall. Timber confessionals at the west end to the rear of the pews.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS: Marble statue of St Anne; Stations of the Cross in bronze affixed to the brick walls to the north of the confessionals; memorial plaques on the south and north-west wall, also three large plaques on the north-west wall which are yet to be filled with names, the first of which is the patron, Prince Stanislaw Radsiwill. Also plaques in memorial of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States and Robert Francis Kennedy, Attorney General and US Senator; simple wooden bench pews and altar and chapel tables; large crucifix to the north of the altar; Smaller crucifix affixed to the external wall by the entrance to the narthex (which is a simple wooden cross with a bronze Christ); wooden confessionals.

HISTORY: St Anne's Church was built in