Restoration

As with any church, or indeed any old building, restoration works are constantly in progress at St Saviour's. We do this not only to make sure our buildings remain structurally safe and sound, but because we feel we have a duty to preserve the history of which we are custodians. Sometimes, this means we need to spend a little more on a project than someone in a modern building might - but our overarching aim is to pass on our church to generations centuries in the future with its original, and beautiful, character intact.

Below you can read about some of the works that have been recently completed, and those in progress.

Latest Additions

Some of the church's precious metal items used in services date back to the 1850s and therefore have been in constant, daily use for over 160 years. As hardy as these metal items are, they do require periodic restoration to mean we can use them for centuries more. Pictured are the incense boat (used by the thurifer to dispense incense smoke during sung masses), the ciborium (which contains the sacred host both within the tabernacle and when giving communion) and the vas aquae benedictae with aspersorium (which hold and sprinkle holy water when a priest conducts blessings). These items, as well as acolyte's candlesticks and the processional crucifix, have been carefully restored. We have retained some of the well-worn dents in the incense boat which keep its character, having been carried about the church during thousands of services.

Alongside the predominantly stone interior of the church, much of the ornate furnishings are made of wood. Our master woodworker has methodically worked through the church to restore aging, and in some cases rotting, woodwork to a healthy and beautiful state. When you picture a church, you picture the larger-than-life, arched doors - which are original at St Saviour's - and ours have been stripped, sanded, and re-glazed to protect them against heat and weather, and keep them strong for the for the future. We have also refurbished the stand below the statue of Jesus, fixed century-old banners, and taken scratches out of well-worn floors.

Wobbly pews are a perennial issue in churches up and down the land, but no more so in the Lady Chapel! Individual cups have been made for each of the feet of the pews in the Lady Chapel, made bespoke to fit the natural undulations of the floor and ensuring all can sit comfortably during daily Said Mass. The floor itself was sanded, ready for our newly stabilised pews to sit in front of our glorious stained glass window featuring the crucifixion. The Lady Chapel host the annual vigil at Easter, lit entirely by candlelight and the altar adorned with white floral displays.

The lectern is where bible readings, intercessions, and occasionally sermons are delivered. Lecterns are often birds - usually eagles or pelicans. The latter is mythologised to feed its young on its body and blood and thus symbolises the sacrifice of Christ. The eagle has a number of possible meanings - it was once thought eagles could stare into the sun, representing the ability of Christians to gaze unflinchingly into the divine word. People also thought that eagles could fly higher than any other bird, and thus closer to heaven. The eagle is also a symbol of John the Apostle, and therefore is used to represent the Gospel as a whole.

In Progress

St Saviour's in a Grade II listed war memorial commemorating men who died in both the First and Second World Wars. The names on the memorial are thought to be connected to the Royal Army Medical College, and the servicemen listed come from all over the country and as far-afield as Canada.

In October 2022, high winds caused the memorial to begin listing and it needed to be supported by scaffolding. We are delighted that Westminster Council have agreed to fund part of the restoration works, and we are awaiting the green light from one further funder so we can get on with works. Ideally, we would like the memorial back to its former glory by Remembrance Sunday 2024.

Read more about the memorial and the men inscribed on the stonework here.

An initially simple-seeming task of cleaning wooden flooring unearthed a void beneath the floor outside the Parish Office. After many efforts to make progress on this project - requiring the floor to be taken up, refilled in places, and levelled - we are finally in full swing and expect the floor to be fully restored to tiling matching the rest of the church by the 160th Dedication Festival.

We're excited to see the floor back to how we expect it originally was - with tiling throughout. The new tiles are reclaimed, meaning they are the same age as the existing tiles, so they will blend seamlessly and hopefully no one will be able to tell that they are recent additions!

The Pimlico Room is a parish hub - we use it daily for meetings and getting ready for services. It was last refurbished almost 15 years ago, and it is long overdue a refresh. We plan to lay future-proof LVT flooring, give it a new coat of paint, get some cosy new sofas, as well as replacing the kitchenette, bathrooms, and becoming more eco-friendly with a new, more energy efficient boiler.

We are in the process of collecting quotes, finalising details, and hope to start this work in the coming months.

We are grateful to anyone who chooses to support our work financially. If you would like to donate to the restoration programme at St Saviour's, please click below.

Donate to the Restoration Fund

St Saviour's

Pimlico

Restoration

Latest Additions

In Progress

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