St.Lukes Chapel, Essex March '17

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prettyvacant71

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St. Luke’s Chapel, Runwell Hospital.



The explore…


I have been visiting Runwell hospital since 2012 and still never managed to see all the parts I wanted too.
The security there had that rather annoying system which required them to actually get off their arses and walk around the site “clocking in” at various locations with their key cards. This meant they could not sit in their portacabin all day watching porn, eating donuts and having farting competitions, so ashamedly I got caught most of the time…often in the same location right by the boiler house/water tower, which was Listed but now demolished, hmmmm.

I only found this out whilst visiting the chapel, as some miserable marketing women from the new redevelopment site galloped over to me as she saw I was carrying a weapon, sorry a camera…I would have got a more pleasant and reasonable response if I were carrying the former. There was the usual predictable yet unnecessarily shouty “What am I going to do with the photographs?” questioning. I explained myself politely, that I love architecture, history and photography and that I do this for pleasure…not profit, which she seemed most concerned about. Obviously being part of the new built redevelopment team, she has never experienced pleasure, or had any concerns or interest in architecture or history, but totally understood profit.
I asked her why the boiler house and water tower had been demolished, as it was Grade 2 Listed, it wasn’t a trick question I was just interested, but she said it wasn’t Listed. I said that I had photographed the demolition order, which clearly stated the preservation of the chapel, administration block and wonderful Art Deco boiler house and water tower. She then got very stroppy and looked like she wanted to throttle me, in fact I think she was doing it in her head. Under these circumstances I would usually remain calm, be annoyingly passive aggressive as we all hate that as it winds us up even more, then hold a mirror up to the antagonist so that they may get a glimpse of their knob jockey type of behavior, but I couldn’t be arsed, I wasn’t in one of my “lets have a laugh” kinda moods. I was upset at not seeing the boiler room and water tower but finding a pile of rubble. I wanted to be on my own, I find my own company intolerable at times but she was really pissing me off so one of us had to leave.



On with a little history…


In 1928 the East Ham and Southend-On-Sea mental health authorities formed a joint committee to create a new mental hospital, and in 1931 the Runwell site in Essex was chosen. The chapel was built within the newly designed hospital grounds in 1937. The architects were Elcock and Sutcliffe, who were prominent architects of their day in hospital designs, and had studied mental hospitals in the USA and Europe to obtain inspiration for their Runwell plan.

The chapel received Grade 2 Listed status in 2007, and is designed in what is called an eclectic Mediterranean style, typical of chapels born in the inter-war years. With its cruciform plan, Mansard roof with small semi-circular dormer windows, barrel vaulted ceiling over the nave, and separate entrances and a lobby with side rooms for epileptics, it follows the guidelines of the Commissioners in Lunacy for the day.
I think we should reinstate a Commissioner in Lunacy in today’s climate:mrgreen:




So here’s some pic’s you loonies…



33729098785_a6f1f68e21_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 002 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33344635070_a09d954e71_b.jpgSt Lukes 079 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr




33344634490_74243e9743_b.jpgSt Lukes 117 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr




33344633790_0502458f50_b.jpgSt Lukes 152 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



32915894153_fdbe55da8f_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 045 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33729097675_7f2d5be4d0_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 052 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



32915893023_68c1fed229_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 059 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33729095465_b0aa1149be_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 177 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



32886467694_51cb03d7fb_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 180 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


32915895083_662a65e08e_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 019 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33600251971_27402b90ca_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 215 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33729094225_6b72cc99be_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 212 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

Some of the “pianola piano” inside workings:)


33729094515_bfafebb5cf_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 208 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



32915892303_65e12065fa_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 120 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33344631740_252eea2dd5_b.jpgSt Lukes 201 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


Sadly the organ has been vandalised. I don’t know if it were by “souvenir hunters” who got disturbed and decided not to take them or if somebody thought that the stop keys were valuable, then realised they weren’t ivory, ceramic or Bakelite so decided to dump them. I found a little pile of them sat next to the organ and the others scattered over the floor. I collected up as many as I could find and took some shots. I don’t like to see things like this, it ruins other explorers the opportunity to take their pics:(



33344632420_23a0b84287_b.jpgSt Lukes 196 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33344628650_3ef0f38c99_b.jpgSt Lukes 308 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33729093865_48bb86982a_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 218 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33729093565_c58d563032_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 223 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33344627130_1bfebdaf5f_b.jpgSt Lukes 322 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



32886464854_52896ac238_b.jpgSt Lukes 327 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



32886468374_26800cae7b_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 168 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr




33729099595_76d67185b8_b.jpgSt Lukes 333 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33729099295_668caf6435_b.jpgSt Lukes 350 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33344625920_a36b5c13de_b.jpgSt Lukes 381 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr



33344631250_f2e7402343_b.jpgSt Lukes 222 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


33344630710_db5d6c791b_b.jpgSt Lukes 263 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr


Staircase up to where the bell was housed.


33729093235_fed796f1b4_b.jpgSt Lukes Chapel 232 by Pretty Vacant, on Flickr

Found the lonely chair in the belfry:)

Thanks for lookin peoples:D
 
Loved your photos & the report was priceless, it resonates with me as I've just come up against that sort of thing whilst trying (vainly) to save a perfectly healthy sycamore from being felled for no good reason, money talks or as Dylan says it screams.
Thank you for the report.
 
That is just lovely mate, really great photos. Have to say I really enjoyed your write up too, had a chuckle reading that! Some cracking shots there, the broken stained glass and the wide shot of the spiral stairs are just fantastic. Enjoyed that one a lot, cheers!
 
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