A WALK ROUND THE CHURCH
1. As you enter St Luke's from the WEST END and stand at the top of the steps, the view before you may be a surprise. This building has stood here for nearly one hundred years. For all that time it has been a centre of worship and Christian witness. The outside of the church with its austere red brick, gives no hint of the colour and beauty within. We hope this short guide will enable you to explore our church and find out something about its history.
2. THE FONT - As you come down the steps past the church organ, turn left into the North Aisle. Here, in its traditional place near the church door, you will find the font. This was given by the children of the Sunday School in 1909. It is recorded that in 1903, four hundred children from this area were attending Sunday School at the temporary Mission Church. This might explain why they were able to afford such a generous gift for their new building. Behind the Font is a Victorian oil painting depicting the Baptism of the First Prince of Wales by Fred Roe.
Notice the PASCHAL CANDLE. A new candle is blessed, and lit each year on Easter
Eve. It reminds us that Christ is the Light of the World and our guide through
life. The Paschal Candle is lit each time a baby is baptised here, and each
baby's baptismal candle is lit from its flame. It is also the candle placed
by the coffin at a funeral.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS - As you continue along the North Aisle, notice the sequence
of 13 pictures round the walls.
These illustrate scenes from Christ's journey to Golgotha and his death on the cross. During Lent and Good Friday, a short devotional service is held, walking round the church. We stop at each picture for a short meditation and prayer centred on the events of Holy Week. Hence the word "stations" - which means" stopping places".
3. OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM - Still in the North Aisle, on a right hand pillar, is a small statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. This is a copy of the image from the famous Shrine in Walsingham, Norfolk, which has been a centre of Pilgrimage since medieval times. You may light a candle and say a prayer here.
4. ST JOSEPH - At the next pillar is St Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was a carpenter and is depicted holding his woodworking tools - perhaps an appropriate saint in a church built for dockyard workers.
5. BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - At the top of the North Aisle is a fine figure of Mary holding the Christ-child. Here you can pause to light candies and say a prayer. Mary is traditionally honoured by the church. She was most important in God's plan for the world, being especially chosen by Him to be the mother of Jesus.
6. LADY CHAPEL - dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is where weekday services are usually held. Notice the Tester or Baldachino above the altar depicting ~ Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel told Mary she was to be the mother of Jesus.This was designed by the great church architect of 20th century, Sir Ninian Comper.
In the corner is a wooden image of Mary. This is believed to have been carved about 600 years ago. It was probably part of a rood screen which in medieval times, used to divide the Nave of a hurch from the Choir. (Rood is an old word for the cross.) The painted crucifix hanging behind the altar is known as a Franciscan Crucifix. Look up at the stained glass window above the altar. This was given by the Guild of Willing Workers in 1919 as a thankoffering for peace. It shows Our Lady Queen of Heaven in the centre, with the wedding at Cana and the crucifixion on either side. The small window on the left features the Annunciation with the angel Gabriel above
7. BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL - is to be found in the Sanctuary, behind the high altar. This chapel was created when the Sanctuary was reordered in the 1920s. The ornate baroque furnishings are continental. On the altar, in a special cupboard called an Aumbry, some of the consecrated bread from the Eucharist is kept. It is from this that the chapel gets its name. The bread is reserved for the priest to take to the sick or dying in an emergency. It is a special place of prayer and devotion, for we believe that Christ is here in his sacramental presence.
8. THE SANCTUARY - As in so many churches, changing liturgical fashion down the years has dictated much alteration in this area. In 1909 when the church was consecrated, the high altar stood against the East wall.
There were altar rails, dividing the sanctuary from the chancel, where
the curtains now hang. On each side of the altar there were choir stalls.
The panels on the high altar were probably painted locally. The centre
depicts worship in heaven and the panels each side contain figures from
the Old and New Covenant. The six altar candlesticks are continental, but
the crucifix was made especially to match. The brick and stone flooring
was designed by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, brother of William
Lutyens the vicar from 1914 to 1930. The curvilinear design is believed
to be inspired by knots (as in rope), linking it to the dockyard, ships
and sailing. These patterns have a practical use too, for they provide
markers for the movements of the priest and servers during the liturgy.
The original altar was in continual use until 1990, when a new style of worship
was introduced. A free standing altar was installed in the centre of the sanctuary,
allowing the priest to stand behind it, facing the people at the Eucharist.
High above the altar, on the east wall, hangs an attractive round picture (Tondo)
of the Madonna enthroned with two Saints. This is a copy of a painting attributed
to Perugino.
9. HOLY SOULS or REQUIEM CHAPEL - This is to be found at the East end
of the South Aisle. Here masses for the departed are said. On the altar
is our memorial book, and all those named in it are remembered at our daily
services. The painted reredos, or screen originally stood against the east
wall behin, the high altar. In 1926 it was moved to It i,ed-
memorial. It then stood against the pipe organ,which was removed and sold in 1990s. (We now have an new electric organ at the back of
the church)
10 & 11 LECTERN - As you face the sanctuary, you see a simple wooden lectern on the right, and a matching PULPIT on the left. These are of the same height, to show that the Word of God read from the lectern is of equal importance to the preaching of the Word from the pulpit.
Looking to the extreme right and left at this point, you can see two small stained glass windows; one depicts ST LUKE and the other ST MARK. These windows remind us that when the church was built, the Parish of St Luke's was carved out of the original Parish of St Mark's (the church in the High Street.) This church may have been dedicated to St Luke because his gospel follows that of St Mark in the New Testament.
12. OUR PATRON SAINT- St LUKE - Notice next to a pillar in the South Aisle, a statue of our patron saint. St Luke was a doctor and a gospel writer. He is depicted holding a quill with a book and beside him is his symbolic animal, the ox (meaning sacrifice). This statue was made by a woodcarver especially for this church. The parish commissioned it from Oberammergau (in Bavaria) while on a pilgrimage to see the famous Passion Play in 1960. We always place flowers before our Patron Saint, and there is the opportunity to light a candle and ask St Luke to pray for us.
13. CONFESSIONAL - At the bottom of the South Aisle is a confessional, where people could confess their sins to a priest and ask for God's forgiveness. Today, this form is rarely used. Confession is conducted in a more informal way, with the penitent talking to the priest face to face. More often, confession is conducted at special services of reconciliation.