William Butterfield’s mosaics at All Saints,

Harrow Weald

Butterfield’s 1890 work at All Saints:

Painted ceiling panels

Mosaics on the east wall of the nave

Mosaic panels on the reredosbehind the altar:

The scroll motif in tiny detail, in Butterfield’s characteristic colours.

The tiles were made by the Minton factory

Butterfield is one of the foremost Victorian architects

He is also very individual; no one else designed in a similar manner

This is one reason why All Saints is a Grade II* Listed Building

All Saints is unusual because it was one of his early churches, when it was built in 1849, and was also enlarged

and redecorated by him in 1890,near the end of his career

Butterfield’s mosaics are themselves unusual

But there’s more…………………..

What’s under the paint on the eastwall of the sanctuary?

During much of the 20th century Butterfield’s reputation was low and his decorative schemes

were concealed –

‘Whitewash is the instinctive suggestion, although its effect on any major Butterfield interior is

disastrous, like an organ played with half the stops missing’

The only known photograph of the wall before it waspainted over in 1957:

It is completely covered inmosaic work, in alternatinggeometric panels and scrolls, with a great flourish at the top

And if you look closely you can see the mosaic pieces under the flaking paint

Careful and fully documented experiments have shown that the paint can betaken off without damaging the underlying surface

And the motifs and colour scheme match everything else designed by Butterfield for All Saints

Butterfield’s work in other places(spot the similarities) -

St Mary in Castro, Dover Castle (work done in 1888)

ScrollsMosaic panelsReredos

Christleton, Chester: mosaic reredos, scroll panels on wall, polished ‘English

marble’ (Derby Fossil) steps, communion rails – Butterfield, 1876

Butterfield mosaics:Fulham Palace Chapel, 1867

Babbacombe c1873Keble College Chapel, Oxford, 1876

St Michael, Portsmouth (demolished)Ottery St Mary, 1878West Tarring, 1885

Dover Castle, St Mary in Castro 1888

All Saints, Harrow Weald, 1890

St Mary, Dundela, Belfast, 1890Christleton reredos panel, 1893-6

Leeds reredos panel, 1893-6

IT WILL COST £12,000 TO CLEAN THE MOSAICSON THE SANCTUARY WALL

But……

If the wall is divided into 600 parts at £20 eacheveryone can take part in the project

Every donor’s name will be recorded on a permanent plan of the wall

LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN