Belcher was one of six architects invited to compete for the commission by submitting designs, judged by Alfred Waterhouse, the then President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The winning designs from 1888, owned by ICAEW since 1988, would be instantly recognisable to members today.
Belcher believed in the alliance of art, sculpture and architecture. He argued in a lecture at RIBA in 1892 that these should be considered together at the beginning of any architectural project, to ‘give expression to the purpose and object of the building, to emphasise its character, and animate it with life and beauty’ rather than being considered as a late-stage add-on.
To deliver this vision, John Belcher was involved in every aspect of the exterior and interior design to an unusual extent, assisted by fellow architect Beresford Pite. Belcher commented on one occasion that every detail was worked out by himself. Indeed, committee papers in the ICAEW archives show that he was still involved in decisions on the detail over decades after the completion of the building, nearly until the end of his life.
The success of his endeavour was marked by the many admiring notices that his new building achieved, with The Builder (1889) stating that Chartered Accountants’ Hall expressed ‘a proper stateliness and dignity befitting a public institution’ while the Dictionary of National Biography says that the hall ‘at once made his fame, and became a landmark in city architecture’.
Angels on our doorstep
One of the many striking features of the exterior decoration of Chartered Accountants’ Hall are the angels that line the Moorgate Place and Great Swan Alley facades. These are a particular delight to visitors, especially those who note the way the 1930s extension by Belcher’s partner, John James Joass, continues the run of original angels with hairstyles appropriate to the 1920s-30s. More angels were added in the 1960s-70s.
The inclusion of the angels was planned in detail by Belcher, as much as the other exterior decoration you can see on a walk around the building. Many of the buildings that Belcher designed featured angels and lions. This was no accident, but points to a rather surprising influence and hidden meaning which was documented by Tony Wilson in an article for The Victorian Society.
Belcher was a member of the Catholic Apostolic Church, established in 1833, which believed that the world would come to an end within the lifetime of its twelve founding members. This number would prove to be significant.
The seven angels above the ground floor on Moorgate Place symbolise the seven angels with seven trumpets from the Book of Revelation unleashing a series of apocalyptic events. The Swan Alley façade of the original building, before the 1930s and 1960s extensions, added another five angels, giving us a total of 12. These 12 angels are supposed to symbolise the coming of the New Jerusalem, surrounded by a high wall with 12 gates guarded by 12 angels.
The final, and perhaps most surprising connection is that ordained priests in the Catholic Apostolic Church were assigned the rank of Angel. John Belcher was an angel of the church in Camberwell from 1908 until he died in 1913.
Image gallery
Sources
- Boys, Peter. Chartered Accountants’ Hall: The First Hundred Years. ICAEW, 1990.
- Friedman, Terry; Linstrum, Derek; Read, Benedict; Rooke, Dary; Upton, Helen. The alliance of sculpture and architecture: Hamo Thornycroft, John Belcher and the Institute of Chartered Accountants Building. Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture, 1993.
- Stern, John H. A History of the Hall of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Gee and company, 1953.
- Wilson, Tony. John Belcher: Building for the Millennium. Victorian Society Journal 1997, pp. 19-24.