Hidden Gems in Waterford
Susan Payne
St Michael and All Angels' Church, Waterford
The 25th July 1872 was a hot summer’s day; so hot that it ended in a violent thunderstorm “breaking all the glass in gardens all round”1. A dramatic day to consecrate a village church.
Isabel and Robert Smith first came to Waterford in 1857, to visit the Goldings estate which they had been given as a rather extravagant wedding gift. Robert was working in the family bank of Smith, Payne and Smith, in the city of London. Isabel (ne Adeane) came from a politically liberal family; her father was MP for Cambridge. The couple came to the area with both a strong sense of duty towards others, and the funds to make things happen.
The hamlet of Waterford adjoining the Goldings estate, appears to have had a reputation for harbouring groups of unruly, even criminal people in the mid-19th century. The Smiths’ set about buying old buildings and replacing them with amenities, such as a school and a coffee house. Seeing that Holy Trinity, the parish church was up the hill in Bengeo, the couple decided religious support was needed within the community. They found a site on the road into Herford and commissioned architect Henry Woodyer, a leading exponent of the Gothic Revival style. Both Isabel and Robert were closely involved in the plans and took pains to “make it as perfect as we could”.1
Consecration of the Church
The Bishop of Winchester led the service of consecration, dedicating the building to St. Michael and All Angels. The small church was crowded with parishioners and clergy from neighbouring churches. The Bishop read “a very eloquent and impressive sermon, which was listened to with the most silent and earnest attention”.3 A newly-formed choir of local girls sang “dressed in white frocks and fichus [scarf worn over the shoulders and tied in a loose knot] and straw hats”1.
The church is beautifully decorated with Milton floor tiles and glass mosaics in the reredos (the decoration behind the altar) and the sanctuary walls, but perhaps the best-known feature are the windows.
Miriam window
One of the windows on the south wall shows Miriam, a prophet who first appears in the Book of Exodus. It is thought that this was specifically designed by Edward Burne-Jones, working through the firm of Morris and Co. The model for Miriam was the Greek sculptor Maria Zambaco, a favourite mews for the artists of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Angels’ Glaze window
Not all the windows were in place from the beginning. ‘The angels gaze at the ascending Christ’ window was installed 20 years later in 1896, in memory of Robert Smith. He had died in 1894 and was buried in the graveyard the other side of the window.2 In designing these angels Burne-Jones was continuing a practice he began 40 years earlier at the start of his career. He is said to have remarked that “I must by now have designed enough to fill Europe” in 1898 as completed his last for Prime Minister Gladstone’s memorial.4
St Cecilia window
As the century turned, the village began to grow until 1909, when Waterford became a separate parish from Bengeo. The last window to be installed in memory of Rachel Prentice, a local resident and shows St Cecilia, patron saint of music. An original design by Dublin-based artist Harry Clarke was rejected by the Diocesan Advisory Committee as not in keeping with the existing windows. A second design by Karl Parsons modifying the first, proved more acceptable and was installed in 1929.2
St Michael and All Angels Church was listed as grade II* by Historic England in 1986.
References
1 And such a name: the recollections of Mrs Robert Smith of Goldings (1839-1913). Dorothy Abel Smith (ed.). Lavenham Press, 2015. ISBN 0-9538042-7-5
2 Wandrag, Malcolm. The story of St Michael and All Angels Church Waterford. PCC of St Michael and All Angels’ Waterford, 2022
3 Consecration of the new church at Waterford. Hertfordshire Mercury, 27/07/1872, p. 5
4 MacCarthy, Fiona. Wings of desire. In The Guardian, 23/12/2006. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/dec/23/art
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