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Thursday, May 16, 2013

St. Michael and All Angels, Torquay

The Mission Church of St. Michael's and All Angels was built in 1877 by Welsh architect John Pritchard.


Henry Hugh Armstead designed the cartoons for the Nativity scene that Salviati executed in mosaics for the central panel of the reredos.


The interior in 1899.

The red stone that was used to build the church made it prone to deterioration, so it was finally demolished in 1968. In late 2012, the corner of Market and Pimlico Streets was the site of a Blockbusters video store. The fate of the mosaic reredos is unknown. It may have been moved to another church nearby.


Sources:
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 125.
The Building News and Engineering Journal. Vol 32.  London, June 8, 1877. 580. 
Torquay Churches
Herald Express. Landmarks of Market Street. Nov, 1, 2012.
Francis Frith Nostalgic Photos
Google Maps

3 comments:

  1. use to be a choirboy there then went on to serve , my brother was married there also the priest at my time there was father edmunds, our choir mistress was mrs perrycombe

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  2. Very strange. I was not born until 1969 but I remember the Church being there. Maybe it's a photograph my memory has got confused with reality.

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  3. Used to pass this Church often in the 1940's & 1950's. Although striking, sadly the red sandstone(?) construction meant it looked rather shabby with all corners rounded off and no features.

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