St Martin’s church
Knebworth
Hertfordshire, England
SG3 6ER
St Martin’s, London Road, is a red‑brick, stone‑dressed Lutyens church of 1914–15 (west end by Richardson, 1963–64), with overhanging eaves, nave, transepts and apsidal east end, a stark white interior of small Tuscan arcade bays and two colossal transept columns, only one of the intended three nave bays being built.
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Description
St Martin, London Road. One of Lutyens’s most remarkable churches. 1914–15, the w end by Sir Albert Richardson, 1963–4. Red brick with stone dressings. No tower, but excessively far-projecting eaves. Nave with transepts and apsidal e end. Lutyens planned a three-bay nave and w portico, but only one bay of the nave was built; Richardson completed the w end with a tall window, overhanging pediment, and cupola. Inside, the aisles are separated from the nave by little arches on Tuscan columns, three arches per bay. Big and high transepts two bays deep. Between the two, separating the transepts from the crossing, one colossal Tuscan column on each side, deliberately dwarfing those of the arcades of the aisles. Similar small arcades on the outer sides of the transepts. Bare chancel and apse. The interior is all white with a timber ceiling supported by the walls and the two giant transept columns. (Bettley et al, 2019, p.344)
Bibliography
Bettley J, Pevsner N, Cherry B (2019) Hertfordshire. The Buildings of England. New Haven: Yale University Press.
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