West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire - St. Lawrenc Church altar - postcard c.1970s

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  St. Lawrence Church, West Wycombe, Bucks.
• Publisher: Larkfield Printing
• Postally used: no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.

Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).

------------------------------------------------

Postage & Packing:

Postage and packing charge should be showing for your location (contact if not sure).

No additional charges for more than one postcard. You can buy as many postcards from me as you like and you will just pay the fee above once. Please wait for combined invoice. (If buying postcards with other things such as books, please contact or wait for invoice before paying).

Payment Methods:

UK - PayPal, Cheque (from UK bank) or postal order

Outside UK: PayPal ONLY (unless otherwise stated) please.   NO non-UK currency checks or money orders (sorry).

NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.

----------------------------------------------

Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

*************

St Lawrence's Church is a Church of England church in the parish of West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on top of West Wycombe Hill in a prominent position overlooking the West Wycombe Road, and surrounding villages. West Wycombe Hill is managed by the National Trust,^[1]although the church and graveyard are owned by the Church of England. The church resides in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. St. Lawrence Church and the mausoleum both occupy similar positions on top of West Wycombe Hill, and the Church tower is visible for many miles around. On a clear day one is able to see West London easily from the highest public floor level on the church tower.

There has been a religious focus on this site since at least 635AD. The Grade I listed church^[2] was built in its current form from 1761, under instruction from Sir Francis Dashwood, 1st Baronet and Baron Le Despenser. It was officially reopened on 3 July 1763.^[3]

The spectacular 18th century remodelling of the Church was completed by the mid 1760s, The tower was raised to make it an eye-catcher from West Wycombe Estate, West Wycombe House and also from the West Wycombe road as one exits towards the West. Its crowning wooden finial of a great golden ball was possibly inspired by the Dogana, Venice, and was reputed to be a meeting place for the Hellfire Club – it could seat 10, and was described by the author John Wilkes as “the best globe tavern I was ever in”.

The interior of the Church is equally as spectacular. The nave has the appearance of a “very superb Egyptian hall”, inspired by that at Mereworth Church, and is said to have been derived from Robert Wood’s prints of the ancient Temple of the Sun, Palmyra. It has five arched windows of timber on each side, and is lined with engaged Corinthian columns under a continuous entablature. The painted ceiling is by Giovanni Borgnis, and there is spectacular Rococo plasterwork, on the ceiling, frieze and walls.

The primary building is made of flint, stone and brick construction and a gabled tile and copper roof. The building has undergone extensive rebuilding works during and after 1761, and since then, repair works have taken place every 40–50 years over the last two centuries.

St Lawrence's Church is known as the 'Summer Church' and St Paul's in the heart of the village is known as the 'Winter Church'. This is because until 1928 there was no road up to St Lawrence and no power until the 1970s.

The drawings were by either of the architects Nicholas Revett or John Donowell. The architect is widely believed to be Nicholas Revett,^[4] who also worked on parts of the house at West Wycombe Park.

Revett published The Antiquities of Athens in 1763. Revett also completed the Temple of the Winds at West Wycombe Park in the same period - a project that one can presume he took inspiration from the Temple of the Winds he found on his Grand Tour, and that he discussed in detail in his publication. A year after the finishing of St. Lawrence Church he leaves for the Asia Minor to continue his grand tour, upon his return he publishes "The Antiquities of Ionia" in 1769.

Revett also designed the church of Ayot St Lawrence in Hertfordshire, again in the neoclassical style.