Description

PLYMOUTH

SX4858SW THE LAWNS, Crownhill
740-1/22/905 Church of The Ascension
25/09/98

II

Church. 1956-58. Potter and Hare. Local multi-coloured stone
rubble in greys and browns; some rendered areas; stone window
dressings; pitched slated roof to eaves.
PLAN/EXTERIOR: cruciform hall-church plan with aisles and
piers rising to the roof. Shallow transpets. Altar in crossing
beneath baldaccino. Projection to north-east containing
vestries and parish room. Projecting tower to south-west,
containing entrance. Font centrally placed at west end. The
church is dominated by its hexagonal shaped tower, with its
thick flank walls of local uncoursed rubble stone and its
entrance angle rendered; stone around inset entrance door.
Vertical precast concrete bell louvres and pitched roof with
deep eaves, their underside curving upwards. Stone rubble to
curved east wall of church (with small hexagonal windows
inset) and to east and west walls of transepts. Panels between
rendered, with a mullioned clerestory, set high in the wall.
Transepts with tall five-light mullioned windows with curved
heads. Two-light square headed full height windows with two
transoms to north and south of sanctuary. Windows with small
rectangular leaded panes.
INTERIOR with tall, green composition piers, facetted and
tapering at the head and down to the base, rising to groin
vault. Segmental vaulted baldaccino over altar rises on
gilded, fluted, tapering piers and painted to the underside
with figurative design by Robert Medley. Freestanding altar
beneath this, both this and the baldaccino raised on shallow
step. Timber altar rails to three sides of sanctuary, with
closely spaced moulded vertical `mullions'. Stained glass in
muted greens, blues and yellows inset in hexagonal apertures
in exposed stone rubble east wall. Sculpted cross of silver
metal with turquoise glass decoration. Stone font of inverted
bell shape with light timber domed cover. Western gallery with
simple white-panelled balustrade. Six-light west window with
mullions rising to full height. C19 reused pews, painted
white.
A beautifully detailed church in local stone which was
liturgically advanced for its period, having a freestanding

altar, designed so that the celebrant could face the
congregation.
(Hammond P: Liturgy and Architecture: 118-119; Architectural

Review: April 1959: 283-4).

Listing NGR: SX4834558295

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of the Ascension, Crownhill at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q15210314

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6