Architecture
St Edmund’s Parish Church
The influential architect N F Cachemaille-Day, designed St Edmund’s in
1938. Influenced by the German Expressionist
movement, he sought to create a style appropriate to the suburban church.
In his
buildings, he aimed to give a sense of release from “the monotony of a
mechanical existence.” By using a sense
of space, light and line, he created an appearance of serenity allowing people
to express their inner emotions.
The
clear glass and large areas of plain white walling can seem quite stark, yet
there is a romantic quality suffused with the feeling of divinity.
The
emphasis was on contemporary design. Ornaments
were kept to a minimum, keeping it free from clutter and avoiding excessive
individualism. There was no mishmash of
various styles or “off-the-peg” items.
Artists and craftsmen, ensuring that their work was integral to the
building, specially designed all furnishing and fittings.
From the
early 1950’s. the Cachemaille-Day vision of St Edmund’s as a contemporary
church was lost. The desire appears to
have been to recreate St Edmund’s in the fashion of a traditional church –
embracing the approach and style of architecture that Cachemaille-Day felt had
lost its way by concerning itself with the wrong things.
We are now beginning to restore the original beauty of the building – Saint Edmund’s is not just a place of worship but it is a significant piece of twentieth century architecture.
Copyright
© 2002-05 Parochial Church Council: Saint Edmund, Chingford