St. Luke’s ChurchA Journey From Iron To Stone

May you ind here, Peace to pray, Joy to share, And love to pass on.

Contents

02 The Iron Church

04 St. Luke’s Church

06 The View From The Top

08 Inside St. Luke’s Church

12 Worship

14 Stained Glass Windows

18 A Time To Remember

20 St. Luke’s Vicars

22 The Grand Old Lady

Designed and edited by Alex Greenhead. First Edition: 2014.

Many thanks to Jo Wheeler for allowing access to the St. Luke’s Church archives.

The Iron ChurchThe birth of the St. Luke’s Parish and the building of a permanent Church.

02

Towards the end of the 19th century, Tunbridge

Wells was experiencing rapid growth in the north,

especially in the area between St. John’s Road

and Upper Grosvenor Road.

The Shatter’s Wood suburb, now the Silverdale

Road area, was a distance from St. John’s Church.

Their vicar, Rev. Henry Eardley arranged for

open air services to be carried out in the district

by Captain Batstone, a Church Army captain.

The services went from being in the open air to

being conducted in a tent, but this was soon to be

replaced by a Mission Room, which was opened

on October 13th 1895. Built mainly from metal,

it became known as ‘The Iron Church’ and held

about 200 people. It was built on a piece of land

that ran between Silverdale Road and Upper

Grosvenor Road.

The work and worship of the Mission Church

continued to grow, and in 1896, a church infants

day school was started. The following year the site

was extended and licensed for Holy Communion,

irst celebrated at Easter.

The Iron Church that used to stand in Silverdale Road.

In 1898, the Rev. A. D. Ferrier - Rowe came to

St. John’s as a curate, and by 1903 his main

work was in the rapidly growing Silverdale area.

Around this time the district started being referred

to as ‘St. Luke’s’. In 1904 the Vicar of St. John’s

made clear reference to the need to create a new

Parish with a “substantial Church, capable of

holding about 500 or 600.”

Fund raising began, but building a replacement

Infants School became priority as the old building

was condemned. It was opened on the 18th

October 1905. In the meantime, the pupils used

the Mission Room, which now held 300 people.

The wish to build a permanent church was still

strongly in people’s minds, but it was not until

the Golden Jubilee for St. John’s Church in January

1908 that a scheme for building a new Church was

fully launched. By 26th May 1909, when the building

committee appointed by the Bishop of Rochester

irst met, £3,000 had been raised, with the initial

03

£1,500 donation being given by Miss Adelaide Mitchell, with Mr. J. Deacon adding £500 and Mr. F. Smart a similar sum. The remainder

constituted of smaller donations.

By 1909, the land in Silverdale Road was now

not considered suitable and the Iron Church was

to become a Parish Room, so a piece of land in

Wilkin Road (now St. Luke’s Road) was purchased,

again courtesy of Miss Mitchell. She laid the new

church’s foundation stone on February 26th 1910,

placing a sealed bottle underneath that contained

a copy of The Times, The Courier, St. Luke’s Magazine

and coins of the period. On October 31st 1910,

the church was consecrated by Bishop Harmer,

the Bishop of Rochester at that time.

St. Luke’s had become a separate parish under

the Bishop on 1st October 1908, but legally it was

declared on the 22nd May 1911. Four days later,

the Rev. A. D. Ferrier - Rowe became the irst vicar after previously being the ‘Curate - in - Charge’.

An open air service conducted by Captain Batstone. Miss Mitchell laying the foundation stone in 1910.

St. Luke’s ChurchA new home for worship in the St. Luke’s Parish.

St. Luke’s Church was designed by Mr. Egbert

Cronk, in an early 14th century style. It was

built from Kentish Ragstone with Bath Stone

details, with tiled roofs by Messrs. Strange & Sons.

The cost of the building was estimated to be

£7,500, with a capacity to hold 500 people.

St. Luke’s consists of a chancel, clerestoried nave

and aisles, plus a square tower in the north - east

of the church. The nave is 70′ long by 39′ high, with four moulded stone arches on cylindrical

piers with moulded caps and bases. It also features

clerestory windows. The aisles are each 60′ 6″ long by 12′ wide and the chancel 33′ 6″ long.

The chancel is separated from the nave by a

stone arch that stems from carved corbels and

clustered pillars. It has an apsidal sanctuary, and

is raised above the nave by four marble steps and

dwarf stone wall with a moulded coping.

The original proposal for St. Luke’s only shows

a small spire, not a tower, but Miss Mitchell,

in addition to her original gift, paid for the

tower and the irst of the bells as a memorial to her parents. The tower’s lower section features

an arched opening to the chancel for an organ,

which was installed in 1915, and the provision for

a set of bells, which was accomplished in 1919.

In the same year, Gillett & Johnston made and

installed the Westminster quarter clock on the tower.

Due to the poor quality of gold leaf available

soon after the war, it was re - gilded in 1923.

In 1970 it was converted to electriication by John Smiths & Sons from Derby.

Early church pictures show the tower without

a peaked roof. In those days the choir would

sing from the top on Easter Sunday morning. In

1920, Miss Mitchell proposed the tower should

be heightened, which she said she would pay for,

so this was done. The lagpole was moved to the garden at the front, but has since been removed.

The tower is now topped by a weather - vane

shaped as an ox, a symbol shown with St. Luke.

Another change involved replacing the wooden

fence for a wall topped with iron railings in 1931.

04

The east end of St. Luke’s Church pre - 1919.

05

St. Luke’s Church, with the tower now featuring a clock. Re - tiling the roof in 1969 used an estimated 55,000 tiles.

A close - up of the weather vane and clock on the tower. St. Luke’s Church in 2012.

A rare view of the west side of the church, taken in 1924.

Few people have been able to see the view from

the top of the tower at St. Luke’s Church, so here

are a selection of photographs that were taken

in January 2012 to show the surrounding area.

The View From The TopA bird’s - eye view of the local area from the top of the tower.

The view south - west looking towards St. John’s Church.

06

Looking west over Shatter’s Wood.

07

The view north over St. Luke’s Road and neighbouring areas.

Looking down upon the Church Hall. The view south towards St. Barnabas Parish Church.

Inside St. Luke’s ChurchThe interior has seen the addition of many deining features.

08

One of the eight bells, inscribed with the dedication.

The organ installed in the specially designed chamber.

A board detailing the bells is in the ringing chamber.

An organ chamber was provided at the base of

the tower, and on 18th October 1915 — St. Luke's

Day — an organ built by Norman & Beard Ltd.

was installed and dedicated. The organ underwent

major renovation in 1991.

On October 12th 1919, the clock and eight

bells were installed in the tower and dedicated

“ In Memory of Those Who Fell in the Great

War 1914 –1918” with one bell being inscribed

with the phrase.

The bells are clavier chime with ringing clappers

and were cast by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon.

Records show when the church was irst built there was one bell with a weight of 14cwt, with

a diameter of 41¾ inches. It was cast by John

Warner & Sons and is presumed to have been

removed although no record exists of what

happened to this bell. Information about the bells

can be read on the board in the ringing chamber.

09

The brass lectern takes the form of an eagle.

The font given by the children of the Parish in 1913.

The building and furnishing of the church both

initially, and in later alterations and additions has

relied heavily on the generosity of individuals

donating monetary sums or purchasing items,

often in memory of people who served the church.

This generosity, which has enabled the beauty

and the work of the church to grow, has been

regularly noted from the time since the church

was irst planned until the current day.

The lectern is a brass eagle, presented by A. D.

Ferrier - Rowe while the pulpit is of Caen stone

with marble pillars and was given in memory

of Rev. John Ferrier - Rowe by his widow and

family. The font is also made from stone, with

an oak cover bearing a cross that was given by

the children of the Parish in 1913. A table font,

bought with a bequest in 1994 is now used.

The Caen stone pulpit with marble pillars.

10

Internally, the roofs are stained and varnished

pitched pine, sitting upon arched ribs that are

supported by stone shafts. The nave and chancel

roofs are formed with trussed rafters, with the

tower featuring a pine-framed spire.

The wall surfaces are generally plaster, featuring

stone dressings over archways. Tiled loorings cover the chancel and sanctuary with the space

under the seats being paved with wood blocks

and the aisles with tiled paving.

The reredos is made from oak, with the sanctuary

rail supported on polished brass standards.

The prayer desk, choir stalls and seats in nave

are also all oak. The choir stalls and pews in

the nave were in the church for its consecration,

but the side aisles were furnished with chairs.

The chairs were replaced by pews of Austrian

Oak (to match those in the nave) in 1912.

In 1996, the back of the church was improved

with new notice-boards to improve displays and

shelving for storage of service books. A small

number of pews have since been removed to

improve space at the front and back of the church.

In addition, the North Porch was cleared and

refurbished to be used as a room for prayer

meetings and small services such as mid - week

communion. This was named the Whyte Room

in memory of Canon Whyte (Vicar 1954 –1992.)

A view of the pews from the lectern. The Whyte Room, in memory of Canon Whyte.

The west end of the church. The pitched pine roof.

11

The inside of the church pre -1919. The inside of the church in 1953.

The inside of the church in 2012.

WorshipThe Altar and Ferrier -Rowe Memorial Chapel.

In 1953, the Church received two gifts, the irst from Miss D. Ferrier - Rowe for £300 in memory of her sister, and the second, £50 in memory of the Misses Hitchens by their nephew. This made

various improvements in the sanctuary possible,

including a new carved oak altar and riddle posts

with angels, plus blue and gold curtains of the

same material used in Westminster Abbey for

the coronation, although these no longer hang.

At the same time, a new blue patterned carpet

was given for the sanctuary and all the woodwork

and furniture was renovated and re - polished.

The original altar and frontals were sent to

Rev. Cecil Rhodes (Vicar 1944 –1949) to be used in

St. Augustine’s Church, Edgbaston, the Parish

to which he had moved.

The reredos is the original one put into the church

when it was built. It is made from carved oak

and has a gold letter inscription at the top stating

“Do This in Remembrance of Me” with gold

Alpha and Omega symbols placed respectively

in the left and right panels.

12

This version of the altar has been in place since 1953.

Created in the North Aisle in memory of Rev. A.

D. Ferrier - Rowe, the chapel was dedicated at the

40th Anniversary Service on Tuesday 31st October

1950 by Bishop Chavasse. The woodwork is of

limed oak, with blue and gold curtains.

The altar kneeler has an inscription “In memory

of Arthur Delph Ferrier - Rowe, irst Vicar of this Parish, 1910 –1935.” An additional kneeler was

added in 1959 to enable more people to kneel.

Ferrier-Rowe Memorial Chapel

The general idea underlying the design is the

struggle of mankind against evil, and the plan

of Salvation provided through Jesus Christ, our

Lord, Who both died and rose again to this end.

The four columns represent the human race in

the perfect family of Father, Mother, Son and

Daughter shown as bearing the heavy burdens

(indicated by the heavy upper mouldings)

which are the lot of us all. Without the mercy

and grace of God we would certainly fail;

therefore, upon the mensa (table top) stand

the three great symbols of our Lord’s death

and resurrection.

The cross in the centre tells of the wondrous

sacriice ofered up on Calvary’s Hill where “He died that we might be forgiven.” After His death friends took His body down from the cross, and buried it. Hence the cross is shown

empty, and not as a cruciix. But He rose from the dead, so the two candles (representing His human side and His divine side) are lighted to remind us that He said “I am the light of the world.”

In the centre of the three front panels (three because of the doctrine of the Trinity) is a

circle enclosing a maze of lamboyant tracery which twists and turns all ways to represent

the diicult pathway we must all pursue; but through it there can be seen a golden cross

shining right in the middle of our way, and

touching the circle of eternity at all its points.

As you draw near to partake of the great Sacrament of God’s love these symbolic

features before you should help to promote

the sense of worship.

The new altar was dedicated by Bishop Mann on 25th October 1953. The designer,

Canon Laycock explained the meaning of his design in December’s Parish Magazine.

13

The Ferrier - Rowe Memorial Chapel.

Stained Glass WindowsA beautiful, deining feature of St. Luke’s Church.

The ive wonderful stained glass windows located behind the altar were dedicated on 11th May 1924,

the central three given by the parish to the memory

of Adelaide Anne Mitchell, the left one to the

memory of Edward Maugham Kelsey (the Vicar’s

Warden from 1911 – 1918) by his brother Mr. A.

R. Kelsey, while the Vicar Rev. A. D. Ferrier - Rowe,

gave the right one in memory of his mother.

The windows all depict stories from St. Luke’s

Gospel — The Annunciation, The Presentation

of Christ in the Temple, Christ’s Ascension,

and Christ and the Doctors — with the ifth one being of St. Luke and St. Paul, taken from

2 Timothy.

14

The ive apse windows on the church’s east side.

15

To celebrate the church’s 21st birthday on

November 1st 1931 — All Saints’ Day — several

items were dedicated, including the Rabboni

window on the nave’s south wall. It was dedicated

to John Gresswell, who had been church warden

since 1910. The window depicts Jesus appearing

to Mary in the garden.

A more recent addition is the north wall nave

window dedicated in May 1994 to the memory

of Canon Whyte (Vicar 1954 – 1992.)

The subject matter of the Good Samaritan relects his close relationship with the Samaritans — he

was closely involved in the foundation of the

Tunbridge Wells branch — as well as work of a

similar nature.

Designed by Keith and Judy Hill, the central design

is of handmade ‘antique’ glass, painted, stained

and kiln-ired in their studio. The background is in ‘cathedral’ glass, matching the adjacent windows.

In the bottom right corner Glasby’s signature is visible.

The Rabboni window on the south wall.

The window in memory of Canon Whyte.

The location of the two windows next to the Ferrier - Rowe Memorial Chapel.

The two windows by the Ferrier - Rowe memorial

chapel were designed by A. Buss, an artist working

for the Shoreditch irm of Goddard & Gibbs.

The process for designing the windows was

long, initially starting in 1958 with a plan

for one window, which then changed to two.

They were itted and dedicated in June 1959, in

memory of Benjamin Payne, Frank Stoneman,

Charles Morris and Harry Waters, all founding

members of the Men’s Fellowship, with the former

two also being church wardens.

The windows feature the symbols of the cruciixion at the top of one window, with the communion

symbols at the top of the other.

16

17

The location of the three lowest windows on the west wall.

The three lowest windows on the west wall of the

church, two of which show the evangelist symbols

and one the Agnus Dei, were mentioned in the

Courier’s account of the church’s consecration as

being in the apse windows. Recent research into

the windows shape and Parochial Church Council

records when the current ‘Glasby’ windows were

installed in 1924 suggests they were moved.

A Time To RememberSt. Luke’s features many commemorative tablets and a Memorial Garden.

In addition to the dedicated stained glass windows,

there are also a large number of commemorative

tablets around the church, a small selection of

which are visible here, as well as a memorial

garden located on the east side of the church.

The St. Luke’s War Memorial Tablet, containing a total of 113 names.

18

The largest memorial, the War Memorial Tablet

is located on the south wall of the chancel.

It originally had 90 names of those who died

ighting in the Great War, but in 1949, 23 names were added to for those who died in World War Ⅱ.

The St. Luke’s Church Memorial Garden.

19

The commemorative tablet for the pulpit.

The commemorative tablet for the porch.

The commemorative tablet for Miss Mitchell’s generosity.

St. Luke’s VicarsThose people who have led St. Luke’s Church and its parish forward.

Rev. Arthur D. Ferrier - Rowe (1911 – 1935)

Rev. Arthur W. Moloney(1936 – 1944)

Rev. Cecil Rhodes (1944 – 1949)

20

Rev. Donald MacLeod Lynch (1950 –1953)

Rev. Robert A. Whyte (1954 – 1992)

Rev. James A. Wheeler(1993 – 2009)

Rev. Caroline M. Glass - Gower(2010 – )

21

The Grand Old LadyMiss Adelaide Anne Mitchell, the generous benefactress of St. Luke’s Church.

Known by many as the Grand Old Lady of St.

Luke’s, Miss Adelaide Anne Mitchell lived to the

magniicent age of 91, and was a highly respected and admired person. She was a generous lady,

who made much of St. Luke’s Church and Infants

School possible. Her good work and deeds have

always been associated with the early history of

St. Luke’s Church.

Miss Mitchell was born in 1830 under the

shadow of Westminster Abbey, attending the

adjacent St. Margaret’s Church. She was the

seventh daughter and last surviving child of

James Mitchell, who died when she was a child.

She lived for nearly 50 years in Westminster

until her mother passed away, moving then to

Clapham for 17 years, where during that time she lost three sisters in very quick succession.

Ill - health led her to move further away from

the city, settling in Tunbridge Wells in 1895.

A church member for over twenty years, her

desire to extend the religious work in this part of

the town was evidenced by her gift of the site for

St. Luke’s Church, as well as the Infants School.

She also gave a substantial sum of money towards

the building of the church, entirely giving the

tower in memory of her parents. She laid the

church’s foundation stone in February 1910.

Miss Mitchell always felt that nothing could be

too good for the House of God, and though many

things were wanted and had been wanted since the

church was built — the furnishing of the church

was a most expensive task — she was always

ready and eager to do the best she could to help.

Her mentality to lend a helping hand won her way

into the hearts of her fellow parishioners by her

devoutness and kindly interest in the welfare of

those she was so often brought into contact with.

22

The foundation stone laid by Miss Mitchell in 1910.

May you ind here, Peace to pray, Joy to share, And love to pass on.

St. Luke’s Church mission statement

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