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The beautiful Arts & Crafts church of St Michael’s Elmwood Road (above) and the elegant 21st Century Footbridge at Chiswick Business Park (below) have been named as joint winners of the competition to find ‘Chiswick’s 51st Building’, run by the ‘Exploring Chiswick’ campaign.
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More than 20 Chiswick buildings were nominated by local residents to be judged alongside those in a new book, Chiswick in 50 Buildings, by Lucy McMurdo. Copies of the book, donated by Amberley Publishing, will go to the proposers of the winning buildings – Reverend Martine Oborne, the vicar of St Michael’s Elmwood Road, and Alexandra Whiley, who nominated the footbridge.
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“It’s a good thing we had two books to give because so many buildings were worthy of inclusion” said the chair of the judges, Torin Douglas, director of the Chiswick Book Festival. “We also had competing criteria to consider – from the number of entries to claims of historic, architectural, artistic or literary merit.”
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In the end, there was unanimity among the judges – the book’s author Lucy McMurdo; Karen Liebreich, co-creator of the Chiswick Timeline mural; Charles Lawrence, architect and publisher; and Torin Douglas.
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Lucy McMurdo said “I’m delighted we were able to choose St Michael’s Elmwood Road. The only reason it was omitted from my book was that I had so many churches and Arts & Crafts buildings already.”
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St Michael’s received nine nominations but, on its own, this would not have ensured its selection. It was praised for its Arts & Crafts architecture by WD Caroe; stained glass windows by Horace Wilkinson; and ‘free flamboyant Gothic stone tracery,’ described by Pevsner. The judges found it hard to choose between the entries, so awarded the prize to the vicar, Rev Martine Oborne, on behalf of all at St Michael’s.
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Charles Lawrence is another fan of St Michael’s and also of the Chiswick Park Footbridge, which he called “A world class engineering masterpiece, exquisitely carried out”. Karen Liebreich said: “My family said ‘It’s not a building’, so we discussed this and we all agreed that it should nevertheless be included.”
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The Chiswick Park Footbridge was designed by the Expedition engineering company, with its sister company Useful Studio.
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The judges’ job was made easier by the fact that two of the nominated buildings – The Voysey House and Chiswick Park tube station – already appear in ‘Chiswick in 50 Buildings’.
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Torin Douglas said: “That was my fault for missing them and I apologise to Lucy and those who made the suggestions. We were delighted to see that they are both featured in the book.”
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Other buildings that came in contention were: Hartington Court, the Art Deco apartment building by the Thames; Carrie Reichardt’s Mosaic House; Nancy Mitford’s home, Rose Cottage; and Arlington Park Mansions, which has a blue plaque to EM Forster.
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During lockdown, Chiswick cultural groups are encouraging people to “stay local” and follow the area’s arts trails, online (if staying at home) and on foot (if exercising). The ‘Exploring Chiswick’ campaign is running online, in local media and on social media. See web page.
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The campaign is backed by Abundance London, which created the Chiswick Timeline: A History of Art & Maps and its Art Trail; Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society and William Hogarth Trust, which co-created ‘In Georgian Footsteps’, a guided trail of 18th Century Chiswick; Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, which has its own interactive map and visitor guide; the Chiswick Book Festival, which created the Chiswick Timeline of Writers & Books and its Writers Trail; and by St Michael & All Angels Church, which runs the Chiswick Book Festival, the Bedford Park Festival and other community arts activities.
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Chiswick in 50 Buildings by Lucy McMurdo is published by Amberley Publishing, RRP £15.99. More details and a 10 per cent discount on their website.