Current condition
Our Ladye Star of the Sea remains a beautiful and historic building, but if you pay a visit, you’ll see it’s in need of repair and restoration.
Much of the interior decoration and furnishings, in the Gothic revival style, are by the famous Augustus Pugin (1812-1852).
“A textbook example of a Puginian Gothic church with a richly decorated and furnished interior; the church, and particularly its tower and spire, is a local landmark,” says Historic England, about the church, which opened in 1851.
But at present there is a pressing need to make the building watertight, to keep out the rain and damp. That requires work on the rooves and the guttering.
The church tower might be a local landmark, but efforts are needed to prevent erosion of its stonework.
The stained glass window behind the altar, designed by Pugin, is showing its age and needs to be strengthened to protect it from buckling.
These are some of the initial challenges facing the restoration project. Once the walls have dried out, we’ll then be able to think about returning the interiors to their former glory.
There are still Victorian features hidden below the paintwork and boards of the 1960s renovation. It would be remarkable to be able to uncover some of that original artwork.
Pugin was an important cultural figure, whose work helped to shape the Victorian imagination. Among his other work was the Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower that houses Big Ben.
So there’s a chance to help protect a work of national significance here on our own doorstep in Greenwich. It’s a Grade II* listed building in need of some care.
It isn’t only Pugin whose work is remembered.
The architect of the church was William Wardell (1823-1899) and a Statement of Heritage Significance in April 2024 recorded that “Our Ladye Star of the Sea is a highly significant building… clearly one of the best by the architect William Wilkinson Wardell… and is probably Wardell's finest church in the country”.
The restoration project, step-by-step, will begin to address some of the practical challenges of a building fast approaching its 175th anniversary.
We keep a record of updates on this restoration project in past newsletters, and going forward, this may be in Next steps.
