St Lawrence's Church, West Wycombe
| St Lawrence's Church, West Wycombe | |
|---|---|
| The Church of St Lawrence, West Wycombe | |
The church in 2009
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| 51°38′50″N 0°48′20″W / 51.647154°N 0.805624°WCoordinates: 51°38′50″N 0°48′20″W / 51.647154°N 0.805624°W | |
| Location | West Wycombe |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Lawrence |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed church |
| Designated | 9 January 1954 |
| Architect(s) | Widely believed Nicholas Revett |
| Architectural type | Medieval, Norman and Neoclassicism |
| Completed | 3 July 1763 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint, stone, masonry, marble, painted frescoes, gilt |
| Administration | |
| Parish | West Wycombe Parish |
| Deanery | Wycombe Deanery |
| Diocese | Diocese of Oxford |
St Lawrence's Church is a Church of England church in the parish of West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on top of West Wycombe Hill in a prominent position overlooking the West Wycombe Road, and surrounding villages. West Wycombe Hill is managed by the National Trust, although the church and graveyard are owned by the Church of England. The church resides in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. St. Lawrence Church and the mausoleum both occupy similar positions on top of West Wycombe Hill, and the Church tower is visible for many miles around. On a clear day one is able to see West London easily from the highest public floor level on the church tower.
There has been a religious focus on this site since at least 635AD. The Grade I listed church was built in its current form from 1761, under instruction from Sir Francis Dashwood, 1st Baronet and Baron Le Despenser. It was officially reopened on 3 July 1763.
The spectacular 18th century remodelling of the Church was completed by the mid 1760s, to drawings by either of the architects Nicholas Revett or John Donowell. The architect is widely believed to be Nicholas Revett, who also worked on parts of the house at West Wycombe Park. The tower was raised to make it an eye-catcher from West Wycombe Estate, West Wycombe House and also from the West Wycombe road as one exits towards the West. Its crowning wooden finial of a great golden ball was possibly inspired by the Dogana, Venice, and was reputed to be a meeting place for the Hellfire Club – it could seat 10, and was described by the author John Wilkes as “the best globe tavern I was ever in”.
The interior of the Church is equally as spectacular. The nave has the appearance of a “very superb Egyptian hall”, inspired by that at Mereworth Church, and is said to have been derived from Robert Wood’s prints of the ancient Temple of the Sun, Palmyra. It has five arched windows of timber on each side, and is lined with engaged Corinthian columns under a continuous entablature. The painted ceiling is by Giovanni Borgnis, and there is spectacular Rococo plasterwork, on the ceiling, frieze and walls.
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Wikipedia