Lost in time is St Barnabas Church in Dulwich, a phoenix risen from ashes. This parish church has a story etched in fire and rebirth. It stands as a testament to faith and architectural innovation.
St Barnabas’ Church serves as the parish church for Dulwich. Dulwich is a district that is part of the London Borough of Southwark. The church is dedicated to Barnabas, one of Jesus’ disciples. The original church was built between 1892 and 1895. It served as the parish church for the new Parish of Dulwich. Today, it is known as the Parish of St Barnabas with Christ’s Chapel, Dulwich.
But tragedy struck on December 7 1992. An arson attack reduced the Victorian gothic church to ruins. Only the outer walls and tower remained. These remnants were sadly demolished in early 1993.
Yet, from the devastation, a new vision emerged. The church was rebuilt between 1995 and 1996. American architect’s firm HOK designed the new St Barnabas. The new building is a little smaller than the old one. It measures 42 metres long, 20 metres wide, and 14 metres tall. However, the glass spire rises another 19 metres above the roof’s apex.
Interestingly, it was set further back from the road. It was slightly angled from the axis of the old Church. This followed a medieval tradition. The tradition was often seen in English village churches. They orientated the church to the cardinal points of the compass.
Before you stands an entrance area. Here, the outline of the old tower and walls can still be seen. To your right, a part of the old south aisle wall perseveres. The reception area gracefully curves around that wall. This creates a link from the old St Barnabas to the new.
The front part of St Barnabas is the Barnabas Chapel. It comfortably seats 50 people. The main body of the Church seats 400 including the choir. It embraces an octagonal floor plan centered around a central altar. The east end houses the organ and choir stalls.
Three dimensionally, St Barnabas is built as a central barrel vault. It features two smaller flanking vaults. They span onto masonry piers of red brick. Above the central vault is the glass spire. It’s constructed of stainless steel box sections. These sections are welded together to form a tapering octagon.
During the day, the spire bathes the heart of the Church in light. At night, it radiates outward. The acoustics were carefully considered. It has a reverberation time of 2.2 seconds when full and 3 seconds when empty. Modern stained glass graces the space. Caroline Swash designed and installed it with a grant from the Arts Council. The stained glass is less about telling a story. It is more about punctuation marks around the building. Strips of colored light separate walls. They add a lighter touch to the brick aesthetic.
St Barnabas stands not merely as a building but as a symbol. It embodies resilience, rebirth, and the enduring power of community. It’s a place where echoes of the past meet the light of the future.