There has been a community of people worshipping God at St. Michael and All Angels for over 140 years. The parish of St. Michael and All Angels, London Fields arose from the subdivision in 1865 of the south Hackney parish of St. John of Jerusalem as the local population expanded in the mid 1800s. Along with its church hall, school and vicarage, the Victorian church served the parish until it was irreparably damaged by bombing in 1945.
The building
The current church, built in 1959-60 at a cost of £49,000, is a striking Grade 2 listed building. It was designed by the architect Nugent F. Cachmaille-Day (1896-1976) who was the Architect-Surveyor of the Hackney Archdeaconery and responsible for restoring several other bomb-damaged churches in the area. The church was consecrated on 11th February, 1961. It is a fine example of the influence of the Liturgical Movement on mid-twentieth century church art and architecture. The Liturgical Movement aimed to draw the congregation into the worship and liturgy, and drew on early church designs and art for inspiration. Thus the church has many ‘Byzantine’ features. For example, the main body of the building is square rather than rectangular, and has an elegant copper covered concrete shell dome. It has a free-standing altar which allows the priest to face the congregation during the Eucharist in an act of inclusiveness.
The murals
The church artist John Hayward (1929-2007) is now most famous for his distinctive stained glass windows such as the Great West Window in Sherborne Abbey, Dorset. In the early 1960s, however, he was interested in creating ‘whole interiors’ of church, including wall paintings, furnishings and stained glass. St. Michael’s is one of the few churches where Hayward had an opportunity to do this. His art is mainly integral to the fabric of the building in the basilican style, and include the Apostles’ Windows on the east side of the church and nine murals. Hayward also designed an aluminium sculpture of St. Michael slaying the dragon at the entrance of the church and the Christus Rex hanging over the altar. Like Cachmaille-Day, he drew inspiration from the Liturgical Movement, believing that art could be the ‘handmaid of liturgy’.
The nine colourful murals painted by Hayward in 1961-2 depict scenes of the ministry of angels throughout the Bible. Moving from back left to front right of the church, these are: the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden; Jacob’s Ladder; the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Birth of Christ; Jesus in Gethsemane; the Empty Tomb. Two angels are placed at the front of the church; and there is a representation of the Baptism of Christ behind the font, which was Hayward’s first mural. The bright stylised figures with strong diagonals and bold colours are very distinctive. As Hayward’s artistic output was mainly in stained glass, the murals are relatively rare.
Other notable features of the church include the clerestory windows between the curves of the ceiling domes and the walls which were designed by the architect Cachmaille-Day. St. Michael can be seen in the west window. The hardwood ‘corona on stilts’ surrounding the altar was also designed by the architect and represents the crown of thorns worn by the dying Christ.
The church is a fine example of British twentieth century church art and architecture. The design and decoration of St. Michael’s does much to create a joyful sense of God at the heart of the community in London Fields.
