Christ Church, Marylebone, also called Christ Church, Lisson Grove, and Christ Church, Cosway Street, is a
Grade II* listed
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, H ...
former
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, ...
church, built in the 1820s in
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...
in the
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...
to designs by
Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
and
Philip Hardwick
Philip Hardwick (15 June 1792 in London – 28 December 1870) was an English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere. Hardwick is probably best known for London's demolished Euston Arch ...
.
After
deconsecration
Deconsecration, also referred to as decommissioning or ''secularization'' (a term also used for the external Secularization (church property), confiscation of church property), is the removal of a religious sanction and blessing from somethin ...
in 1977, the church became an antiques market and restaurant and is now a sports centre named the Greenhouse Centre. It stands on a busy street mid-way between
Paddington Station
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by ...
and
Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
.
The church
Christ Church was one of the first of the
Commissioners' church
A Commissioners' church, also known as a Waterloo church and Million Act church, is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in England or Wales built with money voted by Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament as a result of the (58 Geo. 3. ...
es, which were some six hundred new churches built between the 1820s and 1850s by the
Church Building Commission
A Commissioners' church, also known as a Waterloo church and Million Act church, is an Anglican church in England or Wales built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the ( 58 Geo. 3. c. 45) and the ( 5 Geo. 4. c. 103). The 1818 ...
, using £1,500,000 given by Parliament so that the growing populations of the suburbs could be better served by the Established Church.
[Bob Speel]
"Christ Church Cosway Street, Marylebone by Thomas Hardwick"
at speel.me.uk, accessed 20 November 2020
The church is an example of square Georgian
neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...
, covered in pale limestone, with the
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 ...
inside built of brick. It has a four-columned
Ionic portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...
at the front, with a blank
pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
, and further pairs of pillars on each side. A square tower rises above the church, with clock faces and
Corinthian pillars, above which is an octagonal
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout.
The word derives, via Ital ...
with a roof shaped like a bell.
[ Inside the church is an eight-bay Corinthian ]arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game
** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware
** Arcad ...
, with Corinthian pilaster
In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s on the east wall. Clerestory
A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
windows sit above an entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
, and the nave has a low arched ceiling with ribs and oval panels. The church also has galleries.["CHRIST CHURCH"]
listing at historicengland.org.uk, accessed 20 November 2020
Lacking a graveyard, like many other metropolitan churches, Christ Church was provided with a large vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosur ...
for its burials. In 1887, some alterations were made to the church, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...
.[
Due to parish reorganization, the church was declared redundant and closed in 1977.][ The building was sold and converted by Umano architects in the 1980s, becoming first an antique market and restaurant.
In 2014, the church was bought by Greenhouse Sports, a youth charity, with the help of ]Michael Sherwood
Michael Sherwood (27 October 1959 – 5 November 2019) was an American keyboardist and singer.
Biography
Michael Sherwood was a US keyboardist and singer who came from a musical family which included his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor ...
, a former banker. The Sport England
Sport England is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Its role is to build the foundations of a community sport system by working with national governing bodies of sport, and other funded partners, ...
Lottery, the London Marathon Charitable Trust, and the People's Postcode Lottery
A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...
supported its refurbishment as a multi-sports centre. As part of the new use, the crypt
A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...
was converted into changing rooms and meeting rooms. The new sports centre, named the Greenhouse Centre, was formally opened by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales.
William was born during the reign of his pat ...
, and Prince Harry
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...
on 30 April 2018.
The parish
The parish of Christ Church, Cosway Street, was created in 1825 by Act of Parliament as one of four new district rectories within the ancient parish of St Marylebone. It was provided with a Rectory called Christ Church House.["CHRIST CHURCH, SAINT MARYLEBONE: COSWAY STREET, WESTMINSTER"]
lma.gov.uk, accessed 21 November 2020
George Saxby Penfold was appointed as the first Rector, but in 1828 moved on to serve as the first Rector of the newly built Holy Trinity, Marylebone. He was succeeded by a notable classical scholar, Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...
.[
In 1892, shortly after the arrival of ]Oswald Wardell-Yerburgh
Canon (priest), Canon Oswald Pryor Wardell-Yerburgh (23 February 1858 – 14 November 1913), until 1889 known as Oswald Pryor Yerburgh, was a Church of England clergyman who held numerous offices.
He added the Wardell name to his own when he mar ...
as Rector, a new Christ Church House was built in Shroton Street, in polychromatic brick, and provided parish rooms and a Boys’ Club in the basement. It was formally opened in December 1892 by the Duke of Fife
Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that has been created twice, in both cases for the Earl of Fife. In 1889, Lord Fife married Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edwa ...
.
In 1898, the St John's Wood Chapel became a chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
to Christ Church, Marylebone. In 1932, the Rector of Christ Church moved from Christ Church House into St John's House and increasingly the parish appears to have been administered from there.[
Oswin Gibbs-Smith, who was appointed as Rector of Christ Church in 1941, was also in charge of the parishes of St Barnabas, Bell Street, and St Stephen, Avenue Road, with St Andrew, Allitsen Road.][ During the ]Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, by agreement with Gibbs-Smith, the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
took over Christ Church School, in Cosway Street, Christ Church House, in Shroton Street, the De Walden Institute, in Charlbert Street, and the St John's Wood Chapel, to provide accommodation for airmen.
In 1945, a scheme for the reorganization of the Marylebone parishes proposed that the parish of Christ Church should be united with Saint Barnabas, Bell Street, while losing St John's Wood Chapel, which would become a new parish church, covering most of the former parish of St Stephen, Avenue Road. This scheme was not legally implemented until 1952, but at the beginning of 1948 Gibbs-Smith resigned and different incumbents were appointed for the parishes of Christ Church with St Barnabas and St Stephen with St John.[ Gibbs-Smith became ]Archdeacon of London
The Archdeacon of London is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England. They are responsible for the eastern Archdeaconry (the Archdeaconry of London) of the Two Cities (London and Westminster) in the Diocese of London, an area with ...
and was later Dean of Winchester
The Dean of Winchester is the head of the Chapter of Winchester Cathedral in the city of Winchester, England, in the Diocese of Winchester. Appointment is by the Crown. The first incumbent was the last Prior, William Kingsmill, Catherine Ogle ...
.
In 1971 the parish of Christ Church was united with St Paul, Rossmore Road, to create a parish called Christ Church and St Paul. Both churches were parish churches of this new parish until Christ Church was declared redundant in January 1977. In July 1978 the parish was united with St Mark with St Luke, Marylebone, to be served by a team ministry
Vicar is a title given to certain parish priests in the Church of England and other Anglican churches. It has played a significant role in Anglican church organisation in ways that are different from other Christian denominations.
The title aris ...
.[
]
Rectors of Christ Church
* 1825–1828: George Saxby Penfold["Penfold, George Saxby"]
theclergydatabase.org.uk, accessed 21 November 2020
* 1828–1856: Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prim ...
, a grandson of Horatio Walpole and great-nephew of Sir Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (; 26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745), known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British Whig statesman who is generally regarded as the ''de facto'' first Prime Minister of Great Britain, ser ...
, prime minister.
* 1856–1889: John Llewelyn Davies
John Llewelyn Davies (26 February 1826 – 18 May 1916) was an English preacher and theologian, an outspoken foe of poverty and inequality, and was active in Christian socialist groups. Obituary of John Llewelyn Davies, The Times, Friday, 19 Ma ...
, also Honorary Chaplain to the Queen
An Honorary Chaplain to the King is a member of the clergy within the United Kingdom who, through long and distinguished service, is appointed to minister to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch of the United Kingdom. When the reigning mona ...
["Death of Mr. Llewelyn Davies Scholar and Liberal Churchman" (obituary), in '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', Friday, May 19, 1916, Issue 41171, p. 11, col. B
text at Wikisource
* 1891–1899: Oswald Wardell-Yerburgh
Canon (priest), Canon Oswald Pryor Wardell-Yerburgh (23 February 1858 – 14 November 1913), until 1889 known as Oswald Pryor Yerburgh, was a Church of England clergyman who held numerous offices.
He added the Wardell name to his own when he mar ...
[''The Genealogical Magazine'', Volume 3 (1900), p. 368]
* 1899–1907: Harry Alsager Sheringham (died in office)['']The London Gazette
''The London Gazette'', known generally as ''The Gazette'', is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, i ...
'', 3 November 1899
p. 1032
"CROWN OFFICE October 30, 1899
The Queen has been pleased, by Letters Patent, to present the Reverend Harry Alsager Sheringham, M.A., to the Rectory of Christ Church, Marylebone, in the county of London and diocese of London, void by the resignation of the Reverend Oswald Pryor Wardell-Yerburgh, the last Incumbent, and in Her Majesty's gift in full right."[''The London Gazette'', 4 June 1907]
p. 3831
/ref>
* 1907–1923: George Mould[
* 1923–1941: Thomas George Brierley Kay][''The London Gazette'', 20 March 1923]
p. 2162
/ref>[
* 1941–1948: Oswin Harvard Gibbs-Smith][
]
Other notable people
Constance Lloyd
Constance Mary Wilde (; 2 January 18587 April 1898) was an Irish writer. She was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of their two sons, Cyril Holland, Cyril and Vyvyan Holland, Vyvyan.
Early life and marriage
The daughter ...
, who later became an author and the wife of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
, was baptized at Christ Church on 9 June 1858.
In 1850, aged only fifteen, Arthur Sweatman
Arthur Sweatman (1834–1909) was a Canadian Anglican bishop and the third Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Early life
Sweatman was born on 19 November 1834 in London, England, to parents John and Anne. His education began in two Londo ...
, later Archbishop of Toronto
The archbishop of Toronto is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province that encompasse ...
, began to teach in the Sunday school
]
A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes.
Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
of Christ Church, Marylebone.
Charles Wheatstone
Sir Charles Wheatstone (; 6 February 1802 – 19 October 1875) was an English physicist and inventor best known for his contributions to the development of the Wheatstone bridge, originally invented by Samuel Hunter Christie, which is used to m ...
, scientist and inventor, married Emma West, daughter of John Hooke West, at Christ Church on 12 February 1847.
John Percy Groves
John Percy Groves (26 October 185013 February 1916) was a British author, librarian, and soldier. He wrote stirring adventure stories and information books for boys, all with a military theme, as well as military history, mostly about the Scott ...
, a military author, married Harriet Augusta Raines at Christ Church, Marylebone, on 11 March 1873.
Edward William Cox
Edward William Cox known as Serjeant Cox (1809–1879) was an English lawyer and legal writer, who was also a successful publisher. He has been described as "the greatest entrepreneur of 'class' journalism".
Early life
Cox was born in Taunton, ...
, writer and publisher, married his second wife, Rosalinda Alicia Fonblanque, only daughter of J. S. M. Fonblanque, Commissioner of Bankruptcy, at the church on 15 August 1844.
On 2 November 1830, at Christ Church, Marylebone, John Sterling married Susannah, a daughter of Lieutenant-General Charles Barton and his wife Susannah.Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...
, Henry Duff Traill, ''The Works of Thomas Carlyle: The life of John Sterling'' (1898), p. 75: “On the edge of winter, here at home, Sterling was married : at Christchurch, Marylebone, 2d November 1830, say the records. His blooming, kindly and true-hearted Wife had not much money, nor had he as yet any...”
See also
*Lisson Grove
Lisson Grove is a street and district in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, West End. The street neighbourhood contains a few important cultural landmarks, including Lisson Gallery, Alfies Antique Market, Red Bus Recording Studio ...
Notes
External links
Ground Plan of Christ Church, Marylebone
at mapco.net
Commissioners churches
at hrballiance.org.uk
{{Churches in Westminster
Grade II listed churches in the City of Westminster
Religious organizations established in 1824
Churches completed in 1824
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Former churches in the City of Westminster
Former Church of England church buildings
1824 establishments in England