Sometimes the most exquisite art is found in the most unlikely places. As you travel north out of Hertford on the A119 towards Watton, you might easily overlook a lychgate and its unassuming small church on your left. This would be a mistake. The modest exterior belies a wonderful interior.
Waterford church: a Hertfordshire jewel
The Church of St Michael and all Angels was designed by the eminent Victorian architect Henry Woodyer, who was a disciple of Augustus Pugin, the Gothic Revivalist. The church was built in 1871 to the order of the banker Robert Smith and his wife Isabel, who lived in nearby Goldings and who financed the building as a thank-offering for recovery from illness. All the oak used for the construction of the church roof, the porch and all furnishings was cut from trees growing on the Goldings estate.
Stained glass treasures
The Smith family’s wish to make the church as perfect as possible has resulted in a wonderful, unique collection of Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts art. William Morris was commissioned to create eleven stained glass windows. Five of them were created by Edward Burne-Jones, who had studied with Ford Maddox Brown and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. All eleven windows were made in the William Morris factory.
The window depicting the prophetess Miriam has been described as one of the best examples of Victorian glass anywhere. It is said that William Morris himself was the model for a window by Burne Jones showing St Peter holding the keys of heaven.
Later windows include a stunning stained glass depiction of St Cecilia by Karl Parsons and of the meal at Emmaus by Douglas Strachan. Throughout the church, in both the mosaics and the stained glass, strong shades of green and ultramarine dominate the luminous colour palette.
The focal point: the chancel
Mosaics by Powells of Whitefriars, dominated by blue and gold, surround the altar on three sides. They catch the light beautifully and must have looked all the more striking when lit only by candlelight. Below the mosaics the walls are dressed in malachite green bearing delicate gilded networks, and the floor is a rich pattern of Minton tiles.
But the eye is inevitably drawn to the fine reredos on the east wall, where a marble arcade frames two sets of three figures of saints and angels. In the centre, a cross is set against a background of gold leaf behind etched glass. The reredos was carefully restored in 2024 and rededicated at a special service attended by members of the founder’s family.
The Smith family’s plan to use only the best fittings also extended to the church organ. It was made by J W Walker, an organ-builder of considerable repute. It has 745 pipes, though the highly decorated pipes above the organ are purely for display and for the pleasure of the beholder.
The church is open to the public from 10am to 4pm throughout the year and group talks are available by arrangement with the churchwarden via email at m.t.wandrag@gmail.com.
Some of this text is available in leaflets in the church.
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