Church of the Ascension, Crownhill
Church of the Ascension, Crownhill
The Church of the Ascension is a Grade II parish church on The Lawns, Crownhill, Plymouth, designed by Potter and Hare and consecrated in 1958. It serves Crownhill in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Location
- Crownhill, Devon
- Country
- England
- County
- Devon
- City / town
- Crownhill
- Address
- Church of the Ascension, Crownhill, Devon, PL5 3AA
- Postcode
- PL5 3AA
- Built
- 1956–58
- Consecrated
- 6 December 1958
- Architect
- Robert Potter and Richard Hare (Potter and Hare)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- The Ascension
- Diocese
- Exeter
- Parish
- Crownhill
- Grade
- II
- Style
- Mid-20th-century liturgical modern
- Materials
- Local multi-coloured stone rubble in greys and browns; rendered panels; stone window dressings; pitched slated roof
- Grid reference
- SX 483 582
- Opening hours
- Sorry, there are no regular opening times for this church.
- Access
- Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets nearby
- Website
- https://www.tcota.info/
Overview
Historic England lists a church of 1956–58 by Potter and Hare in local multi-coloured stone rubble, with rendered areas, stone window dressings and a pitched slated roof. The plan is a cruciform hall-church with aisles and piers rising to the roof, shallow transepts, an altar in the crossing under a baldachin, a north-east vestry and parish-room wing, and a projecting hexagonal south-west tower that contains the entrance. The font stands centrally at the west end. Precast concrete bell louvres and a pitched roof with deep, upward-curving eaves mark the tower.
Princess Alexandra laid the foundation stone on 25 May 1956. Construction was difficult: two contractors failed, and the parish finished the work by direct labour. The church was dedicated on 6 December 1958. The listing highlights a liturgically advanced freestanding altar so that the celebrant could face the congregation. Tall green composition piers rise to a groin vault. Robert Medley painted the underside of the baldachin. Hexagonal apertures in the rubble east wall hold stained glass in muted greens, blues and yellows. Peter Hammond called it one of the most satisfactory buildings for liturgy completed in this country since the war.