St. Jude's Church, Whitechapel

Reverend Samuel Augustus Barnett and his wife Henrietta specifically asked London's Bishop to take over the empty and neglected St. Jude's Church (build in 1848) in the city's run-down and crime-ridden Whitechapel neighborhood in 1873. Whitechapel became infamous in 1888 when it served as the location of Jack the Ripper's murderous rampage.

The Barnetts were instrumental in their efforts of cleaning up Whitechapel and in 1885, three years after they began their annual art exhibits, they received from their friends a mosaic copy of G.F. Watts' 1866 "Time, Death, and Judgment". The cartoon for the mosaic was by Cecil Schott and it was executed by Salviati.

Schott's 1884 cartoon

Finished mosaic

Watts himself was critical of the potential result because he could not supervise the work's execution. However, it received praises from the International Correspondence Schools, which wrote that "the mosaic has very faithfully reproduced the picture itself . . .." Matthew Arnold revealed the gift to the Barnetts in Toynbee Hall and the mosaic was later placed on the western exterior wall of the church above a fountain.

In 1923, St. Jude's parish was merged with St. Mary's Matfelon. Like many other buildings in the area, both were destroyed in the blitz of World War II.  The adjacent Toynbee Hall (1884) and the nearby Whitechapel Gallery (1901), both also founded by the Barnetts, still exist.

Although he wasn't considered a suspect at the time, Reverend Barnett's name has come up in more recent speculation regarding the identity of Jack the Ripper. However, given the church's location, the infamous murderer - whoever he may have been - more than likely strolled by the mosaic and perhaps even stopped to ponder the meaning of "Time, Death, and Judgment."

Update: The mosaic can now be found in St. Giles-in-the Fields church in London's west end, where it hangs in the staircase of the south lobby.

Sources:
Arnold, Matthew. Essays, Letters and Reviews. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960.  255.
Barnett, Henrietta. Canon Barnett, warden of the first university settlement, Toynbee Hall. 74.
Barnett, Henrietta. Canon Barnett: his life, work and friends. 170.
AIM25
National Gallery of Canada. For the collection of European and American art. 2010. 3.
The Critic. London: Good Literature Publishing Co. 4. 1885. 310.
International Library of Technology. Tile and parquetry designing. Scranton: International Textbook Company, 1916. 21.
Casebook 
St. Giles Online
Andrew Liu for St. Giles Online

Church of St. Peter and Paul, Wisbech

A 15th century reconstruction of an originally Norman structure forms the base of this church, which was restored numerous times including in 1858 under architect William Bassett-Smith.

Located under a magnificent stained glass window, the Salviati reredos of The Last Supper was designed by Clayton and Bell, and it was unveiled in 1885.

Sources:
Cambridgeshire Collection from Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire 1900 (London: Kelly's Directories Limited, 1900), pp.214-220.
Baz Richardson's flickr Photostream
M. Shihade's flickr Photostream
Ian Wood's flickr Photostream
Gardiner, Frederic John. History of Wisbech and Neighbourhood during the last fifty years: 1848-1898. Wisbech: Gardiner and Company, 1898. 254.

Holy Trinity Brompton

Much of the interior of this 1829 London church was redesigned by Arthur Blomfield in 1879-82.

The sanctuary reredos from 1885 was designed by John R. Clayton.

The central figure of Christ Enthroned surrounded by angels is flanked on either side by a total of twelve individual figures, including John the Baptist, St. Peter, King David and the Virgin Mary.

 

Sources:
British History Online: Survey of London 41, Page 32
British History Online: Survey of London 41, Pages 33-49
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 125.
Castor, David. Wikimedia Commons
Marcus Perkins Photography
London 365 Photo
Alaistair Humphreys' flickr Photostream
American Institute of Architects. Architectural  Record. Vol 2. New York: The Record and Guide, 1893. 81. 

Church of the Intercession of Our Lady of Oreanda

Built in 1885 after plans by Alexey Andreyevich Avdeyev, this Georgian-Byzantine church was at one time attended by Anton Chekov.

The original Salviati mosaics were commissioned by H.I.H. The Grand Duke Constantin Romanov and covered 4,000 square feet. They were based on cartoons by Prof. Wassilieff, but unfortunately many of them - including an image of the Protection of the Virgin and nine icons - have not survived.

A very unique mosaic depiction of a teenage Christ can still be found in the dome, surrounded by eight angels, eight Apostles and four Evangelists.

Sources:
Yalta-Sevastopol Private Tour Guides
Rest Crimea
Yalta SBS
lights2008's flickr Photostream
Crimea Tour Service
Barr, Sheldon. Venetian Glass Mosaics: 1860-1917. London: Antique Collectors' Club, 2008. 132.