St Stephen’s Chapel — Building and Dedication
by Nicholas Long
To try to assist with the development of the chapel, I hope the following helps. For many years it was believed the architect was John Oldrid Scott but I had always disputed this. I was relieved by the discovery by Dr Ian Dungavell of a newspaper item a few years ago that resolved the matter:
GREEK CHURCH. – A magnificent building has this week been completed on the north-east side of the ground in the South Metropolitan Cemetery, Lower Norwood, devoted to the use of the Greek community, and erected at the sole expense of Stephen Ralli, Esq, at a cost of about £20,000.
The building, which is erected and termed the Greek Church, is in the pure Doric style of architecture, in solid stone masonry of the finest description, the carving of the pediment, &c., being of the most elaborate and costly description, and the entrance to the interior being approached by a noble flight of stone steps. On entering, the internal decorations have a most beautiful and imposing effect.
The body of the church is lighted by a large ornamental illuminated stained glass window, a complete work of art in itself, from the laboratory of Messrs. Clayton and Bell, and valued at £1,000. The smaller windows are of ruby coloured glass, which, together with the splendidly finished usual ornamentation, produces a most charming and beautifully subdued effect to the whole.
The church is placed in the centre of an area of about 22,000 superficial feet, and is enclosed by an iron boundary railing of most appropriate and exquisite design and richly gilt, the piers, bases, and coping being of Portland cement. This really magnificent work will well repay a visit to all lovers of works of art of this character, and reflects the greatest credit upon all who have been engaged in its erection from the designs and under the supervision of the architect, James Thomas Knowles, Sen., Esq. and the contractors of the building, Messrs Dayman, of Vauxhall Bridge Road.
The various works connected with it were carried out under the superintendence of Mr. S.W. Brown, clerk of works. The boundary railing and stone work were supplied by Mr. W. Piper, of Norwood.
The Chapel (plot 14564, Squares 27/28/41/42), from the above report, is clearly a mortuary chapel, dedicated to St Stephen, but constructed to the memory of Augustus (Stephen) Ralli (2 November 1856 – 9 March 1872) who died whilst at Eton College of rheumatic fever. I was unable to convince Victoria that a mortuary chapel in memory is not the same as a shrine to the memory or so dedicated (which it is not). Augustus’s father, Stephen (Augustus) Ralli, wrote to the General Assembly on 18 March 1872 asking for authorisation to construct a small chapel in memory of his son. This was gratefully accepted and the churchwardens were instructed to express the Community’s gratitude and requested Stephen Ralli to dedicate the chapel to St Stephen in order that the remembrance of this valued gift might remain more vivid in the minds of our descendants.
The project moved quickly, the chapel appearing to have been built between July 1872 and December 1873. By an assignment dated 30 July 1872, rights over part of the land granted in the Deed of 29 July 1872 (see under Tenure above), namely the right to build a mortuary chapel and to use it for burial services were assigned to Stephen Ralli. It would further appear that by a Deed dated 10 December 1873 the Chapel was assigned to the Trustees but not the rights to the two chambers on either side of the Chapel.
By a Deed dated 4 October 1937 it would further appear that the rights which had been assigned and reserved to Stephen Augustus Ralli in the Deed of 10 December 1873 were assigned by the Trustees of the Will of Stephen Augustus Ralli to Pandia John Calvocoressi and Peter John Ambrose Calvocoressi. By an assignment dated 25 November 1937, the rights in the two mortuary chambers of the Chapel were assigned to the Trustees so since that date, the Chapel has, in its entirety, was held by the Trustees of The Greek Cathedral Cemetery Enclosures Trust Fund.
The architect, James Thomas Knowles senior (1806-1884), was a neighbour of Stephen & Marietta Ralli in Clapham Park, the rear boundaries of their respective homes adjoining. Knowles lived at Friday Grove, a house he designed and built for himself in 1845 in Grove (now Weir) Road and the Rallis were round the corner at Cleveland House, 20 Thornton Road, certainly from about 1867. Knowles, age 70, had retired in 1869 and he had recently been widowed. This would have been a retirement project. His best known building in London (with his son) is the Grosvenor Hotel at Victoria but he was responsible also for the alterations to create the spectacular Monserrate Palace at Cintra, Portugal, for Sir Francis Cook [Viscount Monserrate] (1817-1901), buried in the cemetery at grave 67/63. W[illiam] Piper (1828-1910) was the son of the original contractor responsible for the construction of the cemetery and who had, among his businesses, a firm of monumental masons on Norwood Road, opposite the cemetery gates.
Over the years the chapel has suffered settlement and this has been mitigated by the recent works with underpinning and reconstruction at the south end. As the cemetery is on clay all structures are likely to be subject to earth movement. I can find no reference to a drainage issue affecting the chapel although there was a dispute more generally between the Enclosure Trustees and the SMCC about liability for fixing a broken drain.
The [1974] work funded by John D Pateras in memory of his wife, Eugenia, sadly, is now judged to not have been to the highest standard.
The simple etched window, which replaced that by Messrs Clayton & Bell (blown out in 1940), at the south end portrays Christ ascending [Our Lord with two Angels at his Feet]. It was executed by Harold Warren Wilson in 1952.
The carved mahogany bier, benches, crucifix and turned candle holders are products of the Foster Graham Company, 1884.
Architectural details
As stated on Friday, the sculpture set within the tympanum is in two distinct groups, in age and style, the earlier appearing more 17th century Baroque. Dr Roger Bowdler of English Heritage provided an opinion about 30 years ago and suggests the sculptor might have been influenced by Caius Gabriel Cibber’ (1630-1700) sculptures of c.1676 for the Bethlehem (Bedlam) Hospital of Melancholy and Raving Madness. The (simple and cheaper option for) later figures could have been they were carved in William Piper’s workshop.
The fifteen metopes (three per side and nine along the north front) are in white Carrara marble and I suspect could also have come from William Piper’s workshop. They depict, from left to right:
- The expulsion of Adam & Eve
- The Three Wise Men (or shepherds?)
- Cain murdering Abel
- The Holy Family in the stable at Bethlehem
- The construction of The Ark
- The flight into Egypt
- The sacrifice of Isaac
- Young Christ teaching in the Temple
- The Good Samarian
- The Baptism of Christ
- Elisha at the well
- Christ healing a cripple
- An angel wrestling; perhaps Hagar and the Angel
- Christ shaking hands with an Apostle
- The discovering of Moses
The portico has a coffered ceiling. Along the abacus is the inscription (in Greek)
SALPISEI HE SALPINX KAI HOI NEKROI EGERTHESONTAL
[The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised – I Corinthians XV, 52]
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