I was talking to Humpty. Well, that's not quite how it was. Humpty is an awkward customer. Ask Alice. The trouble is he knows the answer to everything. He doesn't listen. And you will know well that a visitor to Wonderland or somebody who goes through the Looking-glass is likely to meet a good many people like that.
As I was saying, I was trying to have a meaningful conversation with Humpty. He was implacable. He has his unconsidered set ideas -- in this case on how to build a church. Humpty believes there is only one way to design a church building and that is the neo-gothic way. In other words a church building must have a chancel, a nave, two arcades marking the north and south aisles, a steeple, a font near the door and if possible transepts. In the 19th century the Ecclesiologial Society came into being to keep an eye on the church architects who, against this background, were dominating the design field.
Many readers of this blog doubtless worship in such buildings. Once you have become accustomed to entering a church of this kind, it becomes difficult to imagine any other context for worship. This is regrettable because buildings are statements. They make silent declarations about their purpose and those who use them. And a neo-gothic building fosters the notion that worship is static (fixed pews) and solitary (no face to face encounters).
It is of course impractical to replace medieval and neo-gothic buildings. Often they are beautiful examples of their kind. And Christ Church, Fulwood has demonstrated a daring way to solve the problem of arcades of massive pillars. But there is another way. And that involves a building with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof. A what! If you drive up and down the A1 you will have seen such a structure at Markham Moor, a former filling-station.
Think of a saddle. I mean a saddle for a horse, not a bike. A saddle has a concave curve going from front to rear (from pommel to cantle) and a convex curve going from left to right. Imagine that as a roof on a building. It swoops. It soars. It uplifts the viewer. It suggests that worshippers are anything but static and self-contained. There are such churches and to see one of the most notable examples we must go to Gloucester. More about that next time.
If you have a comment on this post please send an email to Revd John King. Edited extracts may be published. To forward this to a friend click on the chain icon below.
Comments