Christ Church is a

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 ...

church in

Emery Down Emery Down is a small village in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Lyndhurst, which lies approximately south-east from the village. Overview Emery Down is a small village clustered around a hilltop overloo ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. It was designed by

William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was born in Lon ...

and constructed in 1863–64. The church has been a

Grade II listed building 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 ...

since 1987.

History

Christ Church was built to serve the scattered parts of the parish of Lyndhurst, including the hamlets of Emery Down and

Bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

. Although the parish church, St Michael and All Angels, had opened shortly beforehand, replacing an earlier church, it was considered unable to comfortably accommodate the entire congregation, and was also criticised for being drafty and cold. As a resident of Emery Down, Admiral Frederick Moore Boultbee was aware of the need for a church and had Christ Church constructed at his sole expense. The church cost an approximate £1,300 to build and the Admiral also provided an endowment of £1,700. The plans for the church were drawn up by

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and Messrs. Hillary of

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

hired as the builders. Construction began in mid-1863 and the church was consecrated by the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

, the Right Rev.

Charles Sumner Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811March 11, 1874) was an American statesman and United States Senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the anti-slavery forces in the state and a leader of th ...

, on 26 May 1864. With the church's completion, Emery Down was formed as a separate ecclesiastical parish from Lyndhurst.

Architecture

Christ Church is built of local brick with

Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...

dressings and a tiled roof. Red brick is predominately used, with some

diapering Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, and silverwork. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces. Etymology For the full etymolog ...

using blue brick. Designed to accommodate 165 persons, the church is made up of a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

, organ chamber,

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

and north-west porch. There is a

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

containing a single bell at the west end. The floor of the nave is laid with red and black squared tiles, and the chancel laid with encaustic tiles from

Mintons Mintons was a major company in Staffordshire pottery, "Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era", an independent business from 1793 to 1968. It was a leader in ceramic design, working in a number of different ceramic bodies, ...

. Fittings include the pews of stained deal, the lectern and altar table of oak, and the pulpit, which is placed on a pedestal of Bath stone. A wall tablet was installed in the church in 1915 in memory of Admiral Boultbee, who died in 1876.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emery Down, Christ Church Church of England church buildings in Hampshire Grade II listed churches in Hampshire Churches completed in 1864 William Butterfield buildings