Christ Church is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

parish church in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Belper Belper is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, located about north of Derby on the River Derwent. As well as Belper itself, the parish also includes the village of Milford and the ha ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

History

The church was built to the designs of the architect

Henry Isaac Stevens Henry Isaac Stevens FRIBA was an architect based in Derby. He was born in London, in 1806, and died in 1873. In the late 1850s he changed his name to Isaac Henry Stevens. Family His parents were Isaac Stevens and Elizabeth Young. He married Ann ...

and consecrated by the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry on 30 July 1850. The church was restored in 1878 when the varnish was removed from the roof timbers and the ceiling and walls were painted by T.R. Hibbert of Belper. A screen was erected and the gas lighting extended. The floor of the church was lowered by and the aisles were paved with encaustic tiles. This work was carried out under the supervision of the architect Mr. Robinson of Derby. At the same time the organ, which had formerly stood on the north side, was split either side of the chancel. The work was paid for by local industrialist G.H. Strutt whose liberality enabled the church to be converted into a free and open church. In 1903, two vestries were built and other alterations made, to the designs of Hunter and Woodhouse of Belper.

Parish status

The parish of Belper Christ Church is part of a joint benefice with the parish of

All Saints' Church, Turnditch All Saints' Church, Turnditch is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Turnditch, Derbyshire. History A date of 1630 inscribed over the south door is often taken as the date of completion of the building. It was given a ne ...

Organ

The church contains a pipe organ by

Brindley & Foster Brindley & Foster was a pipe organ builder based in Sheffield who flourished between 1854 and 1939. Background The business was established by Charles Brindley in 1854. He was joined by Albert Healey Foster in 1871 and the company acquired the ...

A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

Organists

Thomas Barker Mellor Thomas Barker Mellor (1849 – 5 September 1915) was an English photographer and organist who worked in Derbyshire from around the mid 1860s to 1913. He was born in Belper in 1849, the son of John Mellor (1812–1900) and Jane Barker. His brother ...

1862–1871 *James Whitehead 1877–1879 *A. W. V. Vorne Palmer 1880–???? (formerly at Lichfield Cathedral) *Frederick William Kirkland 1883–1924 *Alec Kirkland ca. 1928–???? (son of Frederick William Kirkland)

References

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Christ Church

History

Parish status

Organ

Organists

See also

References