Church of St Peter, Littlebury Green (also known as the Tin Tabernacle)

Summary

A ‘Tin Tabernacle’ church, built in 1885. It was supplied in kit form by C Kent of Euston Road, London with corrugated iron elements supplied by Frederick Braby and Co under the brand name Sun Brand and still retains many original interior features.

Reasons for Designation

The Church of St Peter, Littlebury Green, constructed in 1885, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a ‘tin tabernacle’ that displays good detailing for a church of this typically modest type;

* it retains most of its high-quality interior elements supplied as part of the original ‘kit’;

* the church survives largely complete and compares favourably with other listed examples.

Historic interest:

* as a pre-fabricated iron church, it demonstrates the innovative and functional use of alternative and cheaper church-building methods in the late C19;


* it is an increasingly uncommon building type;

* it is unusual to find a church of this type in its original location as many have been replaced and moved elsewhere for re-use, or destroyed.

History

An increasing population in the mid-C19, alongside the growth of non-conformism, led to a need for more churches to meet the needs of increased numbers of worshippers. Prefabricated churches, often referred to as ‘tin tabernacles’ were a quick, cheap solution whilst a community raised the funds for a more permanent building. These buildings were supplied in a ‘kit’ form which comprised a wooden frame that bolted together with corrugated iron cladding and tongue-and-groove pine to the interior. Some were also supplied with a complete set of furnishings and contents. The buildings ranged from the very plain and simple, to ornate structures with bell towers, steeples and gothic windows, designed to echo more traditional brick or stone church buildings. The temporary nature of ‘tin tabernacles’ meant they could be easily removed and re-used in other locations as well as sent overseas.

Corrugated iron was invented and patented in Britain in 1829. It was the first mass produced cladding material in the modern building industry. It was a technological breakthrough: the corrugations giving strength and considerable structural advantages over flat sheeting. Iron buildings were not restricted to churches: hospitals, hotels and houses were built and many were displayed at The Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851. The first church to be built from corrugated iron is believed to have been in London in 1855. Tin churches were being built until the 1930s. The temporary nature of such buildings means that only 86 are thought to survive today. Many are still in use as churches but others have been re-purposed and others remain empty and redundant.

The ’tin tabernacle’ at Littlebury Green was built in 1885. The galvanised corrugated iron for the building was made by Frederick Braby and Co under the brand name Sun Brand. The overall kit for the building was supplied by C Kent of Euston Road, London. The church was built as a chapel of ease to save the congregation walking the two miles to the parish church in Littlebury.

The building was constructed over a six month period and the official opening of the chapel took place on St Peter’s Day, Monday 29 June 1885.

The church building is still in use for worship as well as a community space, at the time of survey (2025). A few changes made in the early-C21 include an external ramp to the vestry; kitchen fittings in the vestry; a WC inserted into a storage area; a separate handrail outside the main door; and the removal of four pairs of the pews to make the space more flexible. The roof covering was also renewed and the roof vents covered up internally.

Details

A ‘Tin Tabernacle’ church, built in 1885, supplied by C Kent of Euston Road, London with corrugated iron elements by Frederick Braby and Co under the brand name Sun Brand.

MATERIALS:

Corrugated iron with a timber frame, on a brick base, with pine interior fixtures.

PLAN:

The building is rectangular on plan, with a porch at the west end. The interior is a single space, apart from a toilet and a vestry either side of the chancel.

EXTERIOR:

The building has a gabled roof and at the west end, a wooden cupola containing a bell and surmounted by a wheel head cross.

All the windows and doors are Gothic in style.

The gable end to the east elevation has a four-light window with Y-tracery. The gable end to the west elevation contains a large window and intersecting Y-tracery. Below this window is a projecting porch with wooden double door with brass furniture.

The north and south elevations each have three windows with hood moulds and Y-tracery. The vestry contains a further similar window, along with a wooden door also with hood moulds, which has a wooden ramp with handrail.

To the right of the door to the vestry is the original access to the coal hole and access to the underneath of the church

INTERIOR:

The interior is open to the roof structure with two simple tie braces and is entirely clad and floored in pine.

The double entrance doors open to a small lobby with a further double wooden door to the single open space of the church. Both sets of doors have original iron door furniture.

The building retains original furniture including most of its pews; font; altar rail with candlesticks attached; stone and wood reredos with delft tile surround; biblical text above the chancel arch; two decorative chairs; and paintings of the Stations of the Cross, which were all part of the original ‘kit’.

The font, which is positioned in the north-west corner, has a cylindrical pedestal on a moulded two-stage circular base.

On the exterior of the chancel arch there is a decorative tin border, in the form of a scroll, bordered with grey quatrefoils and green fleur-de-lys separating each word. The border contains a biblical text taken from Psalms 26:6 inscribed ‘I WILL WASH MY HANDS IN INNOCENCY/AND SO WILL I GO TO THINE ALTAR’. The words of this are in black except for ‘innocency’ and ‘thine altar’ which are in red.

In the chancel is the stone and wood reredos, bordered by six Dutch Delft tiles, dating from about 1890-1910, which depict biblical scenes. These are bordered by English dust-pressed red and buff tiles. There is a wooden altar rail with each side bearing an iron candlestick

To the north side of the chancel is a WC and to the south side is the vestry.

There are four pairs of moveable pews which may be folded back along the sides of the building. There is also one pair of fixed pews to the rear.

The windows on the north and south elevations are all hinged so that the top will open and they retain their original catches. They contain original decorative coloured transfers depicting biblical figures and saints. The window at the north-west corner has one pane of C21 replacement, stained glass as does that at the south-east corner. The four-light window within the chancel, also contains decorative coloured transfers. The window in the vestry has plain glass as does the large window above the porch, on the west elevation.

In the south-west corner is the stone base for the original stove that heated the building.

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, I, Tin Tabernacles. Corrugated Iron Mission Halls, Churches and Chapels of Britain (2004), .
Bettley, J, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Essex (2007), 544

Websites
National Library of New Zealand website, (Papers Past) , accessed 28 July 2025 from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18770407.2.42.1?items_per_page=100&query=claude+paget&snippet=true&sort_by=byDA
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre website, A Tribute to the Tin Tabernacle, , accessed 31 July 2025 from https://wshc.org.uk/tin-tabernacles/

Other
The National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Society, Saffron Walden Group. Record of Church Furnishings, 2009. In the possession of the congregation.
Letter from Tile Historian dated 4 September 2008. In the possession of the congregation.
Newspaper article from 1885. In the possession of the congregation

End of official list entry