Bucket List – part 7 of 9: Chapel in Queen Mary’s Court, Old Royal Naval College and the Observatory …

The Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich built on the instructions of Queen Mary II (1662 – 1694), had been inspired by the sight of wounded sailors returning in 1692. 

Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor were appointed architects of the new Royal Hospital.  Sir John Vanbrugh succeeded Wren as architect, completing the complex to Wren’s original plans.

Queen Mary portrait by
Sir Godfrey Kneller - 1690

Queen Mary (of William and Mary) had ‘with as much Indignation as her excellent good Temper would suffer her’ refused to have her view blocked … she wanted to retain its ‘visto’ of the Thames – which had only been gained once Charles II cleared the old Tudor palace of Greenwich … part of which has been found under the Painted Hall building and is now being excavated see my earlier post …

… so the quadrants (or Courts) were split providing the avenue we see today from the river through the hospital grounds up to Queen’s House and Greenwich Hill beyond, with its other historical features and buildings … eg The Royal Observatory – see link at end.  

The Chapel's interior

Queen Mary’s Court houses the hospital’s chapel … the original burnt down in a disastrous fire in 1779, being rebuilt and decorated with ‘Greek Revival’ architecture.

James ‘Athenian’ Stuart (1713 – 1788), as Surveyor of the Royal Hospital, was appointed to re-design the Chapel - was a stroke of good fortune for architecture and design that changed the look of buildings in the late 18^th century onwards.

James "Athenian" Stuart - self-portrait

Stuart proved to be a talented artist, after the death of his father, supporting his mother and family, by becoming apprenticed to a fan maker.

After 20 years or so he walked to Italy (he still couldn’t afford to go any other way) to expand his artistic knowledge … where he was apprenticed, learning Latin, Italian and Greek, while studying Italian and Roman art and architecture.

He went on to Naples, round to Greece … cementing his interest in studying ancient ruins and designs.  Returning to London he co-authored with Revett a 'design sourcebook' – fuelling the Greek Revival Movement in European architecture … Grand Tours became popular as the love of antiquity spread.

An illustration in the 'design
sourcebook'

Nicholas Revett (1721 – 1804) considered himself a gentleman and was probably sufficiently well-off not to have to earn his living … but he and Stuart documented the ruins of ancient Athens … further enhancing European knowledge of Greek architecture …

On his appointment as Surveyor to the Royal Naval Hospital Stuart was able to share his passion for this style of architecture when the new Chapel was built.

An example of scagliola - seen in the
Allen County Courthouse, Fort Wayne

This gave the Greek Revival Movement a real boost … master craftsmen were brought in … creativity came to the fore – but as the cost of Stuart’s design would have been way over the top … funds were scarce - a number of money-saving decorative effects were used … meaning design trickery. 

Scagliola came into fashion in Tuscany in the 17^th century … this was used for producing the imposing marble-like stucco columns at each end of the Chapel.

Trompe L'oeil wall by
Jacob de Wet (1730s)

The life-sized figures of evangelists and apostles in the niches are paintings – not sculptures … using the Grisaille technique - artwork entirely in shades of grey or neutral greyish colour … 

The limestone, horsehair and sand plaster decorations on show in the chapel were made in moulds – some of the moulds surviving to this day …

Shire Books have produced
this little booklet about
Coade stone

Coade stone was an artificial ceramic, manufactured in Eleanor Coade’s Lambeth factory – sadly the technique has been lost.

Eleanor Coade (1733 – 1821) was an entrepreneurial businesswoman known for her methodical procedures to produce consistently high quality products.  She had managerial skills, entrepreneurial flair and a talent for marketing and public relations.

She is worth reading up about … her success may be gauged by Josiah Wedgwood’s complaint that he “could not get architects to endorse his new chimney- piece plaques”. 

Twinings: the original shop in the
Strand - the frontispiece is of Coade
stone - rediscovered under a century
of soot

The Chapel contains many Coade stone products … the angel heads and column capitals in the nave, the crest of the Royal Hospital on the balconies, while in the vestibule there are four life-sized Coade stone statues representing the virtues:  Faith, Hope, Charity and Meekness.

Duty reforms made imports cheaper; mahogany could be used more freely … when it was mixed with home grown woods … the art of wood-turning was discovered.

The Chapel's Aisle with the
organ pipes set into mahogany
and oak

The pulpit and the organ … both were made from local and imported woods – oak, mahogany and limewood … the organ is still used almost every day by organ scholars … and remains known for its beauty of tone.   Sadly the organ builder, Samuel Green (1740 – 1796), died in near poverty – how often that happens … yet the names of great craftsmen can live on.

The Chapel was extensively restored in the 1950s … and now looks almost as it did when it was built … it is a stunning and beautiful place of worship … hosting a regular Sunday service.

Plan of Greenwich Courts, Queen's House and
at the back Greenwich Hill

This completes my Greenwich posts … I need to visit again … but in the meantime there are some links, one of which is to another blogger’s recent excellent post on the Royal Observatory …

I will write up one more post in this Bucket List series on the health of the River Thames … then I change tack and carry on with whatever springs to mind.

Thanks for joining me on my various jaunts with the friend who was over from South Africa … it’s been a good journey and knowledge gathering time …

Blogoratti’s post on A Day at the Royal Observatory …

Eleanor Coade - her Wikipedia page

Details about Eleanor Coade and her factory are shown in this blog post

Scagliola … the technique that came into fashion as an effective substitute for costly marbles ... 

Grisaille technique - particularly used in place of a sculpture ... 

More interesting information here on the hospital:  'A Refuge for All' 

Old Royal Naval College - Architecture ... details on the College's architectural development

while under the Chapel's link ... there are some stunning photos ... 

 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

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