Christ Church, Hampstead facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christ Church, Hampstead
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Country	UK
Denomination	Church of England
Architecture
Designated	1850
Architect(s)	Samuel Daukes
Style	Early English Gothic
Completed	1852
Administration
Deanery	North Camden
Archdeaconry	Hampstead
Diocese	Diocese of London

Christ Church, Hampstead, is a beautiful Church of England church located in the historic area of Hampstead, London. It has a special connection to the old village of Hampstead and the nearby Hampstead Heath, a large, famous park.

An important person, former Prime Minister Clement Attlee, was married to his wife, Violet Attlee, at Christ Church, Hampstead.

History of the Church

The church building you see today was built between 1850 and 1852. It was designed by an architect named Samuel Daukes. He used a style called Early English Gothic, which is a type of medieval church architecture.

In 1860, a wooden balcony, called a gallery, was added by Sir Gilbert Scott. This gallery was later taken down in the 1960s. Later, in 1881 and 1882, the north porch and aisle (a side section of the church) were added. These new parts were designed by Ewan Christian. The church is made of Kentish ragstone, which is a type of stone, with details made from Portland stone and slate roofs.

In 1855, the church also built a primary school next door. It was first for very young children. After World War II, the school taught children from ages 3 to 11. It had one class for each year group. This school was one of many similar schools connected to churches in the area.

Church Leaders: Vicars

List of vicars

A vicar is a priest who leads a local church. Here is a list of the vicars who have served at Christ Church, Hampstead:

• John Pelham (1852 - 1855)
• Edward Bickersteth (1855 - 1885)
• George Frederick Head (1885 - 1897)
• George Sidney Streatfeild (1898 - 1901)
• Alfred Edwin Deacon (1901 - 1917)
• Thomas Brocas Waters (1917 - 1922)
• Osmond Ralph Maude Roxby (1923 - 1936)
• John Farquhar Richardson (1936 - 1941)
• Frank Hay Gillingham (1941 - 1942)
• Sydney James Nisbet Wallace (1942 - 1953)
• David Thomas Jarvis (1953 - 1969)
• John Alfred Sampford (1969 - 1979)
• Christopher John Fairfax Scott (1979 - 1995)
• Paul Derick Conrad (1995 - current)

Church Bells

Christ Church has a set of eight large bells. The heaviest bell weighs about 24 hundredweight (which is roughly 1,200 kg or 2,688 pounds!).

These bells were put in place in 2005. A person named Michael Royalton-Kisch, who is the current tower captain (the leader of the bell ringers), worked hard to raise £100,000 all by himself. This money was used to replace the old bells, which were no longer safe to use.

The bell ringing group practices every Wednesday evening at 7 PM. They also ring the bells for most Sunday church services.

Some of the bells (the treble, tenor, third, and fifth bells) were made by a company called Gillett & Johnston in 1938. They were originally from St Luke's Church in Cowley, Oxford. The other four bells were made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 2005.

Here is a table showing details about each bell:

The Church Organ

The organ pipes

A church organ is a large musical instrument that uses pipes to make sound. Christ Church had an organ installed in 1857 by a famous builder named Henry Willis. He even became the church's first organist!

However, this original organ was later replaced. Around 1968, a problem called dry rot was found above the organ. To fix this damage, the organ had to be partly taken apart. It was stored in the church but was never put back together. Later, it was moved and stored elsewhere.

After trying out some computer organs, a smaller, different type of organ was installed at the back of the church.

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) once visited the church to broadcast their Morning Service. They had heard the old Willis organ during their visit. But by the time they came to broadcast live, the organ had already been taken apart!

Here are some of the famous organists who have played at Christ Church:

• Walter Brooks
• Henry Willis (1852 - 1859)
• Henry Parratt (1859 – ????) (He used to be the organist at St. Paul's Church, Huddersfield)
• John Charles Ward (1863 - 1868)
• Dr. Marshall of Kidderminster (1868)
• Charles John Vincent (1883 – 1891) (He used to be the organist of St Eustachius' Church, Tavistock)
• Henry Walford Davies (1891 - 1898)
• Cyril Rootham (1898 - 1901)
• Ian Graham (? - 1964)
• Gordon Whittard (c 1964 - 1974?)