Christ Church, High Harrogate
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Christ Church, High Harrogate is a
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
located in
Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...
,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England. It was the first church building to be built in Harrogate and is today home to a thriving congregation and – along with the attached Parish Centre – an important focus of community activities.


History

Christ Church, High Harrogate was the first permanent church building in Harrogate, as Harrogate did not previously have a church of its own. Originally a chapel of ease to St John's, Knaresborough, the bulk of the present building was erected in 1831 to designs by the architect
John Oates John William Oates (born April 7, 1948) is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates along with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, serving as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record ...
and consecrated as the first parish church in the town. The transepts and chancel were added in 1862 by
Henry Francis Lockwood Henry Francis Lockwood (18 September 1811, Doncaster – 21 July 1878, Richmond, Surrey) was an influential English architect active in the North of England. Family Lockwood was from a successful Doncaster family. His grandfather, Joseph Lock ...
and William Mawson. The carving on the extensions and a previous reredos were executed by
Mawer and Ingle Mawer and Ingle was a company of architectural sculptors, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, between 1860 and 1871. It comprised cousins Charles Mawer (born 1839) and William Ingle (1828–1870), and Catherine Mawer (1804–1877) who was m ...
in 1862.''Yorkshire Gazette'', Saturday 05 July 1862 p5 col.3: "Enlargement of Christ Church, Harrogate"
/ref> There have been significant changes to the building in the 1920s (many major internal changes), the 1930s (the installation of the Comper reredos) and the 1980s (the building of the attached parish centre.). Christ Church has in turn planted a series of other churches across the town including St. Peter's (1870), St Luke's (1898), and St Andrew's Starbeck (1911). Like Christ Church itself, all of these are thriving Christian communities today.


Present day

Christ Church is home to a thriving Christian community of 300+ adults and 170+ children and young people. It stands in the mainstream of the Anglican (Church of England) tradition.


List of Vicars

Perpetual curate Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or incumbent curate within the United Church of England and Ireland (name of the combined Anglican churches of England and Ireland from 1800 to 1871). The term is found in common use mainly ...
s (1755–1831): *1755 – 1759 William Leigh Williamson *1759 – 1765 Nevile Stow *1765 – 1769 John Hinde *1769 – 1825 Robert Mitton *1825 John Lloyd Lugger *1825 – 1831 Thomas Kennion (''and see Vicars below)'' Vicars (1831–present): *1831 – 1845 Thomas Kennion *1845 – 1858 Thomas Sheepshanks *1858 – 1870 Horatio James (Canon of Ripon) *1870 – 1887 William Winter Gibbon (Canon of Ripon) *1887 – 1903 Richard Wentworth Fawkes *1904 – 1926 Douglas Sherwood Guy (Canon of Ripon) *1927 – 1935 Paul Fulchrand Delacour de Labilliere (subsequently Bishop of Knaresborough and Dean of Westminster) *1935 – 1937 Claude Cyprian Thornton (Canon of Ripon) *1937 – 1943 Martin Kiddle *1943 – 1954 William Frederick Vernon *1954 – 1970 Thomas Arthur Bendelow *1970 – 1994 Richard Thomas Wright McDermid ( Chaplain to HM the Queen, Canon of Ripon) *1995 – 2007 John Edward Colston (Canon of Ripon) *2008 – 2014 Nicholas James Henshall *2015 – Matthew Scott Evans (22 January 2015 – present) ''This list is taken directly from the board at the west end of the church and all spellings are as on the board.''


Organ

In 1908 a new organ by Norman & Beard was installed. It was rebuilt by John T. Jackson in 1980 with a new detached console. 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 ...
.


Organist and Director of Music

*Mr. Pilkington ca. 1863 *Matthew Arnold ca. 1867 *John Septimus Dickinson ???? – 1870 (afterwards organist of St. Peter's Church, Harrogate) *W.P. Bell ca. 1880 *Mr. Wade ca. 1892 *J.F. Chubb 1910 – ???? *
Ernest Farrar Ernest Bristow Farrar (7 July 1885 – 18 September 1918) was an English composer, pianist and organist. Life Ernest Farrar was born in Lewisham, London, but moved in 1887 to Micklefield in Yorkshire, where his father was a clergyman. The rest ...
ARCO 1912 – 1916Dictionary of Organs and Organists. First Edition. 1912 *Warner Yeomans ca. 1920 *Douglas Robinson 1946 – 1974? *Ralph Franklin FTCL FGSM ca. 1980s *Derek Bolton 1980's *Dr John Beilby BMus PhD FLCM LRAM LTCL 2005 – 2008 *Jonathan Eyre BMus (Hons) ARCO ATCL 2008 – 2009 *Christine Alp GRSM LRAM LGSM 2009–2024 *David Darling 2024-present


See also

*
Listed buildings in Harrogate (High Harrogate Ward) High Harrogate is a Ward (electoral subdivision), ward in the town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It contains 53 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrogate, Christ Church Anglican Diocese of Leeds Church of England church buildings in North Yorkshire Christ Church Grade II listed churches in North Yorkshire