Divine Inspiration
Max Lamb designed objects for a refurbished church in Peckham, London (image: Lewis Ronald).
Whatever your faith – if you have one at all – there’s no denying that Max Lamb’s minimalist altar for the St John Chrysostom Church in London, Peckham, is an arresting sight. Hewn from Portland stone, the new centrepiece almost glows in the candlelight against the dark brickwork of the modernist building, which was designed in 1966 by architect David Bush.
London is a city of churches. The City of London alone has some 50-odd, including the landmark dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. But designing objects for a place of worship is an unusual proposition for a contemporary designer, in part because such commissions are increasingly rare. England is an ostensibly Christian country, but one where its main religion is poised to tip over into a minority one. Most historic churches have their own decidedly vintage fixtures and fittings, ranging from sombre Protestant offerings to the more ornate bells-and-smells flair of the high church. Newer churches are much rarer; you’re more likely to find an old church, converted into flats, in an estate agent’s window.
St John Chrysostom Church was built in 1966 by architect David Bush (image: James Harris).
Despite his fitting surname, Lamb is not personally religious; he was, however, intrigued by the commission. “I have always had an interest in churches in terms of architecture and their environments and atmospheres,” he says Lamb. When he was invited by the curator Aldo Rinaldi to submit a proposal for St John Chrysostom, he jumped at the opportunity. Rinaldi was embarking with parish priest, Father Peter Packer, on a renovation of the church’s exterior and interior spaces. Along with the altar, Lamb created the altar furniture and the sanctuary floor.
Bush’s modernist church was created to replace two churches – St Chrysostom and St Jude – which had both been bombed out during the Second World War. Lamb’s proposal responded to the existing minimalist interior and the furniture already in situ that had managed to survive the blitz. “The limestone referenced the existing font, which was salvaged from the original church that stood in its place,” Lamb explains. “One of the limestone columns was saved and turned into the font that is still used today. It was a natural choice to adopt the same Portland limestone from which to carve the new altar.” If you’ve spent enough time in Sunday School, the monolithic slab of angel-white stone brings to mind the resurrection and the rock of the tomb being rolled away.
The Portland limestone was chosen to match the existing font, which was made from a column of the old church (image: Lewis Ronald).
For the altar furniture, which includes two candle holders and a Paschal candle for Easter services, Lamb used the same Portland limestone. Lamb was able to carve the candles himself in his workshop, while the altar was cut by masons in Portland, Dorset. The limestone is soft enough such that the designer could sand and finish it by hand. Although it appears to be a single, solid block, the altar is actually formed by slabs that interlock to form five V-shaped Maltese crosses in the negative spaces at each corner. Malta, of course, being the historic seat of the Order of St John.
While Lamb is known for using natural materials and primitive shapes for his designs, getting to work on something ecclesiastical gave him room to be even more dramatic. “The scale and functional requirements of the church are entirely different from a home,” says Lamb. “I had the freedom to design it as a solid monolith, as if extruded from the floor. Although perhaps similar in scale to a domestic dining table, people don’t need to sit around or eat off an altar.” Communion is, after all, a more intimate, handheld affair.
Interlocking slabs of stone form crosses on the altar (image: James Harris).
Some of the other stone pieces, such as the rest for the Paschal candle, include teak elements to match the church’s original furniture. While the limestone could be matched to the font, teak’s endangered status made it trickier. “I was initially invited to consider using one of the teak pews to repurpose parts of the altar and candleholders,” says Lamb. Luckily for the pews, they were spared cannibalisation and are still in use in the refurbished church. “Instead I used an old teak step that I bought from a reclamation yard when I was about 18 years old,” adds Lamb. “It is a beautiful piece of timber and I was very glad to be able to finally use it.”
Images Lewis Ronald and James Harris