St. Pancras Restored
There are thousands of churches in this country in need of restoration. So great is their number, and so dire is the need, that it may at first seem invidious to single out the great London church of St. Pancras, which was this week re-dedicated by the Bishop of London. Certainly the fact that the Spectator office happens to be one building in the parish of St. Pancras is the least reason for such a mention, though that very minor accident is the excuse for this small coda to the celebration of a joyful event—the preservation of a House of God. There are better reasons for singling out the case of St. Pancras. It is a model of restoration. The discovery, in April, 1951, that the fabric had not merely deteriorated but was in a dangerous state led to the imme- diate closing of the church, which has the second largest unsupported roof span in the country (the largest, by six inches, being the Great Hall at Euston Station, a few yards away). But the vicar, the churchwardens and a great body of friends who, led by the Queen Mother, gave money for the work, turned disaster into opportunity. Architect, builders and craftsmen devoted themselves to the task with a combination of devotion and skill which was a living tract for the times. The colours used in the interior decoration are as nearly as possible a reproduction of the originals used when the church was built, in 1819-22, on the high tide of the Greek revival. The effect of the restoration is to bring back into the building the clear classical light of the Regency design. And the total effect of the whole operation is to demonstrate the power of clear vision and strong determination in the work of restoring the Church in our midst.
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