Christ Church on

Brixton Road Brixton Road is a road in the London Borough of Lambeth (south London, England), leading from the Oval at Kennington to Brixton, where it forms the high street and then forks into Effra Road and Brixton Hill at St Matthew's church at the junctio ...

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

SW9 is an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...

Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

built in 1902 by Arthur Beresford Pite for his brother-in-law, Rev William Mowll. The foundation stone of the new church was laid on 13 December 1898 by Princess Helena, and the old church was demolished in 1899. The foundation stone, by

Edward Johnston Edward Johnston, CBE (San José de Mayo, Uruguay 11 February 1872 – 26 November 1944) was a British craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the father of modern calligraphy, in the particular form of the broad-edged pen as a ...

, was cut by

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as "the greatest artist-craftsma ...

in 1902. The church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

by Edward Talbot, the

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester, Kent, Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Rochester Cathedral, Cathedral Chur ...

, on 5 December 1902. There is a prominent clock on the exterior of church, probably erected at the time of its construction. The outside pulpit in the south-west corner was designed by Weir, Burrows and Weir and was dedicated on 3 November 1907. The present church was built on the site of an earlier chapel, formerly the independent Holland Chapel, which was sold to Anglicans in 1835, enlarged and renamed "Christ Church" in 1855. The foundation stone of the new church hall was laid on 24 July 1897, and the building was completed in 1899. There are five stained glass windows in the church. One is St Paul preaching to the Athenians, by

James Powell and Sons The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were London-based English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained-glass window manufacturers. As Whitefriars Glass, the company existed from the 18th century, but became well kno ...

, which had been in the previous church building. The other four are by Clayton & Bell: The Good Samaritan, a companion pair of the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Presentation by Hannah of her son Samuel to Eli, and The Resurrection. There was a

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

organ in the earlier church, which was transferred to the new church in 1902. This was subsequently removed: it is now installed in St Osmund's Church, Derby. It was replaced by a

Willis Willis may refer to: Places United States * Willis, Florida, an unincorporated community * Willis, Kansas, a city * Willis, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Willis, Nebraska, an unincorporated community * Willis, Oklahoma, an unincorporat ...

in 1919. This has been supplemented by a digital organ installed in 2007. Located in a recent addition to the church is Café van Gogh, named in recognition of

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

, who lived briefly nearby at ''87 Hackford Road'', where there is now a

Blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

and which is open to visitors.

References

External links

Southwark Diocese information on Christ Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christ Church, Brixton Road Churches completed in 1902

Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth Grade II* listed churches in London Brixton Art Nouveau architecture in London Art Nouveau church buildings in the United Kingdom Church buildings with domes Domes in the United Kingdom