St Gabriel's Church, Pimlico

St Gabriel's, Pimlico, is an Anglo-Catholic parish church of the Church of England located in Pimlico, London. It lies within the Deanery of Westminster (St Margaret) within the Diocese of London. Designed by Thomas Cundy (junior), it was constructed between 1851 and 1853 as part of Thomas Cubitt's development of the area on behalf of the Marquess of Westminster. It is a Grade II* Listed Building.

History


The church was built between 1851 and 1853 by Thomas Cundy (junior). In the period 1840–60, Pimlico was a rapidly expanding residential area and The Marquess of Westminster, the major local landowner, granted £5,000 and the freehold of a plot at the south-western end of Warwick Square for a church. The vestry was added in 1887-8 by James Piers St Aubyn.

Description
Immediately following all this work came a period of improvements in the chancel, funded in the main by Lord Edward Pelham-Clinton. A new high altar had been installed, designed by John Francis Bentley, architect of Westminster Cathedral, and now the whole chancel was lined with alabaster by Powell with Italianate mosaic designs. The floor is of red and white marble squares with solid marble steps. Particularly prominent was the new East Window by Charles Eamer Kempe depicting Christ in Glory with Saints.

Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel was added to the south of the chancel and some of the original reredos (thought to be by George Gilbert Scott) from the original high altar, installed there.