Christ Church, Lambeth facts for kids
Christ Church in Lambeth, England, is a historic building with a long story. It was first built in 1876 by a minister named Christopher Newman Hall. At that time, it was a special type of church called a Congregational chapel. It stood on Westminster Bridge Road and many people who attended came from a nearby church called Surrey Chapel.
Christ Church was part of a bigger group of new buildings. These included the Lincoln Memorial Tower and a new home for Hawkstone Hall. When Newman Hall retired, another minister named Frederick Brotherton Meyer took over.
A Church Rebuilt: Christ Church Today
The original Christ Church was badly damaged during World War II. Because of this, it had to be rebuilt. The new church was smaller and was finished in the early 1960s. It also joined with another church called Upton Chapel, which was a Baptist church. Upton Chapel had also been destroyed during the war.
Today, this combined church is known as Christ Church & Upton Chapel United Reformed. More recently, it has been called Church.co.uk, Waterloo. This is because it joined with the Oasis Trust, a charity that helps communities. The tall tower next to the church is now used by a company called Shiva Limited.
The church building itself is not very noticeable from the outside. It is part of a modern office block. Inside, the space is used as both a café and a chapel. You can find a special plaque inside from 1894. It was saved from the original church built by Newman Hall.
A colorful stained glass window used to light up the chapel from the east side. However, this window has now been covered up. This was done because the images on it were no longer considered appropriate. On the outside of the chapel, a stone shows details about its rebuilding in 1959.
Between 2013 and 2014, the entire church site was changed into a secondary school. This school is called Oasis Academy Southbank. It is part of the Oasis Academy network of schools. The chapel area itself was turned into a sports hall for the students.
The Original Victorian Church
The first Christ Church, built in the Victorian era, was bombed during World War II. Only the Lincoln Memorial Tower next to it survived. The original foundation stone from Newman Hall's first Christ Church was saved after the war. You can now see it at the bottom of the Lincoln Tower on Westminster Bridge Road.
See also
- List of churches in Lambeth
- Westminster Bridge Road
- Oasis Charitable Trust
