Description

TQ 3877
26/G107B

ROMNEY ROAD SE10 (North Side)
Royal Naval College, Queen Mary's Quarter

I
Begun 1699 with chapel and inner colonnade to designs of Sir Christopher Wren. Completed by Sir John Vanbrugh 1728.

East front Portland stone ashlar. Four storeys, 25 bays. Slightly projecting five-bay centrepiece (with balustraded parapet) and three-bay ends with pedimented gables. Hipped roof of moderate pitch, leaded to north, slated to south. Dentilled eaves cornice right across; blocking course over intermediate sections. Bands at first and third floor levels and at first floor cills. Rusticated ground floor. Piano nobile comprises first and low second floor, both included in arcading of centre and ends, with second floor windows lunettes. All other windows recessed square headed sashes with glazing bars, those in centre and ends with moulded architraves.

South front four storeys and basement, eleven windows. Enriched entablature and parapet. Slightly projecting pedimented end bays with pilasters on third floor and quoins below. Bands at third floor level and first floor cills. Rusticated ground floor. Above ground floor windows in moulded architraves, those on third floor shouldered. Console bracketed broken cornices and triple keystones to second floor windows. Modified Gibbs surround and console bracketed cornice to first floor windows. Windows in outer bays in tall, round arched recesses running up into pediment, with oval attic window. In left bay third floor window flanked by round arched niches. Below this the return of inner colonnade, six pairs of Tuscan columns (the outer ones square) with entablature and balustraded parapet over. The whole inner (west) return is a long colonnade of paired columns with balustraded upper floor set back behind them and ending in a tower of two stages with drum and dome above. Lower stage square, one-bay with wide open pediment and high round arched window with flanking niches. Upper stage round, of Corinthian columns, with diagonal projections. Low drum with raised eaves for clock face. Ribbed lead dome with oval windows in lower part, columned cupola with vane above.

Inside, the chapel, damaged by fire in 1779; and in 1789 redecorated by James (Athenian) Stuart and William Newton. Octagonal vestibule with coved ceiling. Tall flight of curved, diminishing steps. Eight-bay chapel with wood galleries both sides resting on wide, curved brackets. Low, segmental ceiling has three coffered roundels in borders. Organ gallery at west end resting on Ionic Order with balustrade, highly enriched. Original organ by Samuel Green, 1789. All that remains of original decoration are two tall pairs of Corinthian columns at either end framing entrance and altarpiece painting by Benjamin West. Very rich classical ornament throughout in shallow relief and in grisaille. In gallery ends double doors in rich surrounds under flattened, coffered half-domes. Round pulpit, on four fluted Corinthian columns, has carved Coade stone medallions by Benjamin West, and graceful curved stair.

Listing NGR: TQ3867777909

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527545

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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