St Michael and All Angels Church, Blantyre, Malawi
Encyclopedia
St Michael and All Angels Church was constructed from 1888 to 1891 of brick
at the Blantyre Mission in Blantyre, Malawi
. It is located on the original Scottish mission site, off Chileka Rd, and is in the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian
’s Blantyre Synod. Since 1991, it has been partnered with Hiland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. In 1885 by Lieutenant H. E. O'Neil fixed of the longitude
of Blantyre to be 2 hours 20 minutes 13.56 seconds east of Greenwich by means of a series of 365 sets of lunar observations, and a plaque installed in the side of the church commemorates this achievement. The church has been described as
s. It has been estimated that eighty-one different forms of bricks were used in the building. The most common bricks are 12 by 6 by 3 inches and laid up in English bond.
Scott made no detailed drawings before construction began. Instead, each detail was tested with dry bricks before final assembly. The dimensions are approximately 106 feet long; 30 feet wide from aisle wall to aisle wall; and 37 feet high to the crest of the roof. Scott described his plan as
Design and structural elements include arches, domes, and flying buttress
es. The two towers are not identical. A Moorish
, domed bell tower, which contains a circular staircase, is built into the angle between the southwestern tower and the wall of the south aisle. The interior consists of a Byzantine
arcade
of six arches.
was installed in the North transept in 1907, and electric light was installed in 1912. The organ was replaced in 1954. The church underwent renovations in the 1970s, but has changed little in appearance since it was built. A large crack was found and repaired with flitch plates
and turnbuckle
s.
, about 30 yards to the north, and is surrounded by additional buildings that at one time housed a school, a hospital,
a printing press, and a carpentry shop. The grounds now include a modern multi-purpose hall and the Henry Henderson Institute.
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
at the Blantyre Mission in Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
. It is located on the original Scottish mission site, off Chileka Rd, and is in the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian
Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian
The Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian is a Presbyterian denomination. It consists of five synods: one in Zambia , one in Zimbabwe and three in Malawi - Livingstonia Synod in the north of the country, Nkhoma Synod in the centre, and Blantyre Synod in the south.The CCAP is the largest...
’s Blantyre Synod. Since 1991, it has been partnered with Hiland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. In 1885 by Lieutenant H. E. O'Neil fixed of the longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
of Blantyre to be 2 hours 20 minutes 13.56 seconds east of Greenwich by means of a series of 365 sets of lunar observations, and a plaque installed in the side of the church commemorates this achievement. The church has been described as
- the first permanent Christian Church erected ... between the ZambeziZambeziThe Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
and the NileNileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
. -Rev. Alexander Hetherwick C.B.E., D.D., F.R.G.S.
Construction
The church was designed and its construction managed by Rev. David Clement Scott with no formal architectural training. Labor was provided by local men without previous experience in this type of construction. All the bricks used in the construction were made on the location from local clay and fired in wood-fueled kilnKiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s. It has been estimated that eighty-one different forms of bricks were used in the building. The most common bricks are 12 by 6 by 3 inches and laid up in English bond.
Scott made no detailed drawings before construction began. Instead, each detail was tested with dry bricks before final assembly. The dimensions are approximately 106 feet long; 30 feet wide from aisle wall to aisle wall; and 37 feet high to the crest of the roof. Scott described his plan as
- The form was a Latin cross with very short transeptTranseptFor the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s, (10 feet outside measurement). A short choir, (12 feet outside measurement), and a semi-circular apseApseIn architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
of 8 feet radius. The aim was to make a comely Presbyterian place of worship.
Design and structural elements include arches, domes, and flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
es. The two towers are not identical. A Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
, domed bell tower, which contains a circular staircase, is built into the angle between the southwestern tower and the wall of the south aisle. The interior consists of a Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
of six arches.
Modifications and renovations
An organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
was installed in the North transept in 1907, and electric light was installed in 1912. The organ was replaced in 1954. The church underwent renovations in the 1970s, but has changed little in appearance since it was built. A large crack was found and repaired with flitch plates
Flitch beam
A flitch beam is a compound beam used in the construction of houses, decks, and other primarily wood-frame structures. Typically, the flitch beam is made up of a steel plate sandwiched between two wood beams, the three layers being held together with bolts. In that common form it is sometimes...
and turnbuckle
Turnbuckle
A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eyelets, one screwed into each end of a small metal frame, one with a left-hand thread and the other with a...
s.
Surroundings
The church building itself is accompanied by a clock towerClock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
, about 30 yards to the north, and is surrounded by additional buildings that at one time housed a school, a hospital,
a printing press, and a carpentry shop. The grounds now include a modern multi-purpose hall and the Henry Henderson Institute.