Stalking Nicholas Hawksmoor
OK, OK, we know most of you will be sick of reading about Hawksmoor. But Londonist are completer-finisher types, and after stalking so many lesser London luminaries we feel obliged to tackle the great church-building, conspiracy-generating architect. There must be some readers out there who haven’t read Iain Sinclair’s trademark lucidity-shy ramblings on how Hawksmoor’s six churches align with other sites of dubious significance to form a pretty pattern. Or Peter Ackroyd’s erudite reinterpretation in novel form. Or the story-telling genius of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. Or, indeed, the account by our friends at Smoke, whose own Grand Tour of the churches (Issue 4) suggested a hitherto unappreciated culinary mysticism. So, for the benefit of the six or seven people who’ve never been introduced to this tableau of alignments, secret societies, obelisks and conspiracy, here is our Stalk. Hawksmoor was the most famous pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. After cutting his teeth (possibly literally if you’re Iain Sinclair) on his master’s projects, Hawksmoor developed into Britain’s greatest Baroque architect. He is most famous for his six London churches, which were intended as part of the underachieving ‘Commission for Building Fifty New Churches’ of 1711. Strangely, given the building’s prominence, it’s a lesser known fact that Hawksmoor also designed the western front of Westminster Abbey. Perhaps this messed up Sinclair’s karma, so has been ignored in recent accounts. As it will be here, while we go in search of his churches.