The church of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, has but small claims to beauty of appearance, although rebuilt from the designs of Sir Christopher Wren. The highest praise that may be accorded to it is that of being commodious. The old church escaped the Fire of London only to fall into decay, and in 1686 was, with the exception of the tower, taken down, and replaced by the present building. This tower is a somewhat incongruous affair—the small windows in the lower story contrast oddly with the large ugly ones above; and, with the corner buttresses, betray at once the greater antiquity of this part of the structure. The body of the building, as our sketch will show, is divided into two stories, and is ornamented with a cornice and balustrade. The interior, which is very commodious, has nave, aisles, and a handsome chancel. A gallery ranges on either side, supported by pillars; with a third and upper gallery at the west end of the church for the accommodation of the charity school children. The ceiling is panelled, of large span, and decorated with festoons of fruit and flowers. The chancel is adorned profusely, but the taste which guided the decorations is that of a day happily gone by. The walls are wainscoted, and grained to imitate Sienna marble; paintings and gilding add to the attempted effect. Above the altar is a large window of stained glass, with representations of the Ascension and the Last Supper. The organ is by Harris, and celebrated as the instrument employed in the contest between its celebrated maker and Schmydt, in the Temple Church, when the palm was awarded to the organ of the latter.
