the Church aesthetic: setting the scene

Around London it's the big churches that grab the attention: Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, St. Bartholomew. But even on everyday walks we're arrested by the gorgeous architecture and looming belltowers of the hundreds of small but beautiful churches that are scattered through London.

Right around the corner from work and the University College is the church of Christ the King in Gordon Square. It used to be the Anglican church serving the University - with its own Crypt Cafe! - but reverted to the ownership of Catholic Apostolic Trustees in 1994. The Gothic exterior is still a familiar sight to students, who love to lounge in the adjoining park. (As we do!)

St. Pancras Church is most famous for its Greek-inspired caryatids, but its Neoclassical facade catches the sunlight at magic hour - one of the underrated sights of the city.

Tucked away nearby is Holy Cross Church, an Anglo-Catholic church of dark stone that looks so forbidding it was used as the location for the episode 'Blind Beggar' on the British crime show Waking the Dead. Snow or sunshine, it's photogenic in all weathers!

Back in the days when London was just a city of a single square mile surrounded by busy villages, church spires towered over the squat houses and low hedges of local towns. The church was meant to be visible for miles, its bells calling the parish to worship or to safety.

Gothic windows and door arches just attract us. The dark arches in warm pale limestone formed a backdrop to books, paintings and movies that we loved throughout our lifetime. Now as artists ourselves, we look for that familiar soaring architecture to feel at home.