Key Details

Overview

French Protestant Church at 8-9 Soho Square in Soho, London W1.

The library and presbytery of the church front the square with the actual church behind, and the building is of brown brick, possibly load-bearing, that is laid in English Bond. The ground floor and to most of the top (fourth) floor are faced in terracotta, which is also used as a dressing to architraves, cornices, projecting ribwork and to form brackets on the east crow-step gable. Over this, the Westmoreland slate roof has two projecting turrets and a central bell-cote with an oak turret under an ogee-shaped lead cap.

Almost all openings have segmental or radius head arches, and there are classical motifs on the cornices and other features along with terracotta niches in the central gable. The five bay front is symmetrical except for a recessed doorway to the right. There are paired vertical sash windows and the entrance has a stone relief in the tympanum above, dating from 1950 and commemorating persecuted Huguenots. A central canted projecting bay rises from the first to the fourth floor. The boundary wall has brick banding with cast iron inset railings and gates. The heavy cast iron rainwater goods have large triple hoppers.

The church interior also features a mixture of brick and terracotta with a timber barrel-vaulted main roof. The four-bay nave space is arcaded and flanked by vaulted side aisles, with an apsidal end. Two 17th century and 18th century Royal Coats of Arms are kept in the building.

Typical basement finishes for this building include plaster, render or whitewash applied directly to basement walls. Lath and plaster may be present at stair wells or for partition walls. Timber skirting, panelling, dado rails or timber frames to doors may also be expected on ground or upper floors. Decorated Plasterwork may be expected in hallways, stairwells and principal rooms. Tiled and glazed surfaces are present on the ground floor in the form of decorated
terracotta and faience.

The foundations are thought to be ground bearing masonry strip foundations.

Source: Crossrail Limited, Method Statement for Fixing Internal Monitoring to Listed Buildings for the grout shaft and TAM installation works at Grout Shafts 2-7 at Tottenham Court Road Station.