Children's Chapel Mural

Sunday 25th May 2008 Dedication of the new mural in the Children’s Chapel at 10.30am Parish Eucharist

On 16th April 1941 St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Church Road, Bromley was destroyed by a bomb.
The church was rebuilt after the war finally being completed in 1957. The architect J Harold Gibbons died at the end of that year and his design for the apse of the Children’s Chapel was never painted.

In 2000, Alison Hodson a local artist and a member of the congregation began to design a new mural in memory of Florence May Stevens, a former Sunday school teacher. Alison trained as an illustrator at Swindon School of Art and Design, and has had work published in ‘Best’ magazine and as greeting cards. She also designed the logo for Bishop Justus School in Bromley.

After approval by the Diocese of Rochester, Alison began the mural at the beginning of March 2007 and worked for four to five hours, two to three days a week, juggling this with her young family and her work as a dental hygienist. She finished on 1st April 2008.

Alison’s inspiration for the design was broadly speaking ‘the beauty of Creation’. The apse or dome represents
the Heavens, with God as a central figure standing in front of the Tree of Life as told of in the Book of Revelation. The waters of life pour down the pillars from the dome and life on earth surges up to reach the Heavens. The pillars depict different aspects of life on Earth; joy, birth, Christmas, the beauty of creation in tiny insects, intricate flowers and weeds, the cruelty of thorns, the Calming of the Storm, the Feeding Miracles, the Eucharist, sacrifice, remembrance, resurrection, betrayal and Original Sin, the True Vine, crucifixion, grief and bereavement. The pillars are intended to balance one another mirroring the themes of light and darkness themes within the Dome, as described in the Book of Genesis.

Alison found the task a challenge; “Artistically the most difficult part of the work was trying to represent God as Iwas aware that this is very personal and different for everyone. Practically, I discovered that I am not especially keen on heights!”

Alison is pleased with the final result; “The most inspiring part was achieving a representation of God’s loving nature within His figure and face. It was a huge struggle but I was proud of what I eventually achieved: God is both male and female, black and white in essence. My feelings now I have finished are chiefly pride and relief! I could not have achieved this without the love, prayers and support of my husband, family and friends.”

The mural covers 32 sq. metres in total. Scaffold was erected in order to allow Alison to access the dome and pillar tops. Beeck mineral paints were used which are pure pigment paints to allow the passage of moisture through the lime containing plaster. The paint is a natural and environmentally friendly product.

The mural was dedicated at the Eucharist on Sunday 25th May. The Children’s Chapel is open from 9am to 5pm everyday, for private reflection and prayer. Alison can be emailed at Alison@hodson33.waitrose.com .

The Vicar's description of the Mural