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 ...

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

parish church in

Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignt ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England. Designed by Walter G. Couldrey and Edward Gabriel, the church was built in 1887–88 and has been a Grade II listed building since 1993.

History

Christ Church was built at a time when Paignton was undergoing rapid growth and expansion. Efforts towards the construction of a new church had been made from around 1863, but these early efforts did not come to fruition and neither did a proposal to begin conducting services at Paignton's Temperance Hall. In April 1886, a public meeting was held at the hall to determine whether a separate ecclesiastical district should be formed in the northern region of Paignton parish and a new church erected to serve it. Mrs. Disney Robinson of

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

had already promised £1,500 towards the endowment. The result of the meeting was to begin raising subscriptions and a building committee was established. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners agreed to match Mrs. Robinson's sum for the endowment and provide a plot of land large enough for the proposed church, along with a vicarage and school. The new church was designed by Mr. Walter G. Couldrey of Paington and Mr. Edward Gabriel of

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as joint architects. Messrs. Christopher and Robert Elliott Drew of Paignton were the builders, with Messrs. Delafield and Pollard of Paignton handling the freestone work and Mr. W. Leaman as clerk of the works. Prior to its construction, an iron church was erected on the site in August 1886 to provide temporary church accommodation. The foundation stone of Christ Church was laid by the

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, the Right Rev. Edward Bickersteth, on 26 April 1887. It had been intended for Mrs. Disney Robinson to lay the stone, but heavy rain prevented her attendance. The church was completed a month ahead of schedule and was consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter on 1 June 1888. With its completion, the ecclesiastical parish of Christ Church was formed. The original iron church was then used as a Sunday school. It was intended to replace it with permanent premises, but the scheme did not come to fruition. The vicarage attached to Christ Church was built in 1894. In 2002, Christ Church and St Paul's were united as a joint benefice. The original iron church remains in use as the church hall.

Present day

Christ Church did belong to the

conservative evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

of the Church of England. On 6 April 2016, the parish passed a resolution to reject the

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...

. As of August 2022, it is listed as an evangelical resolution parish by the Bishop of Maidstone, the bishop who provides alternative episcopal oversight for conservative evangelical parishes. The resolution to reject women's ministry was over turned at the Parochial Church Council meeting on the 11 July 2022. Resolutions Concerning Women in Ministry. The PCC rescinds all previous resolutions regarding the ministry of women as they apply to Christ Church, Paignton and will warmly accept women presiding at Communion and in the future welcome the ministry of either male of female incumbents. Agreed, Proposed (GFH), Seconded (AB) All in favour

Architecture

Christ Church is built of local red sandstone, with freestone dressings, in the Early English style. Designed to accommodate 600 persons, it is made up of a nave with clerestory, chancel, narrow north and south aisles, north and south transepts, organ chamber and vestry. A tower and spire was intended for the church, but lack of funds meant this was never built. Original fittings include the pulpit of Caen stone with Devonshire marble pillars, and the lectern, made up of a brass eagle perched on a slab of rough Dartmoor granite and a polished slab base.

Gallery

File:Christ Church Hall May 2020 since tree removal.jpg, Christ Church church hall File:Christ Church interior 23 June 2020.jpg, Interior June 2020 File:Christ Church Paignton Eagle Lectern.jpg, Eagle lectern on Dartmoor stone

References

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External links

Christ Church & St Paul's Together in Paignton website

Christ Church listing entry at Historic England
Buildings and structures in Paignton Churches in Devon Church of England church buildings in Devon Grade II listed churches in Devon Churches completed in 1888