Christ Church, Spitalfields facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church |
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| 51°31′8.73″N 00°04′27.05″W / 51.5190917°N 0.0741806°W | |
| Location | London, E1 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Low Church Evangelical |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Consecrated | July 1729 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Architect(s) | Nicholas Hawksmoor |
| Style | English Baroque |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Spire height | 202 feet (62 m) |
| Administration | |
| Archdeaconry | Hackney |
| Diocese | London |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Parish: Spittlefields, Stepney Act 1727 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act for making the Hamlet of Spittle-fields in the Parish of Saint Dunstan Stebunheath, alias Stepney, in the County of Middlesex, a distinct Parish, and for providing a Maintenance for the Minister of such new Parish. |
| Citation | 2 Geo. 2. c. 10 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Christ Church Spitalfields is a famous Church of England building in London. It was designed by a well-known architect named Nicholas Hawksmoor. The church was built between 1714 and 1729.
You can find Christ Church on Commercial Street in the East End of London. It is close to the City of London. This church was one of the first "Commissioners' Churches." These churches were built by a special group called the "Commission for Building Fifty New Churches." This group was set up by a law in 1711.
The main goal of the Commission was to find places and build 50 new churches. These churches would serve the growing areas of London. Christ Church was built in an area that was once part of the large medieval Stepney parish. This area had many Huguenots, who were French Protestants. They had different beliefs from the Church of England. Building Christ Church here showed the authority of the Church of England. Some Huguenots used the church for special events like baptisms and weddings. However, they usually preferred their own simpler chapels for regular worship. Over time, many Huguenots became more involved in English life and Anglican worship.
Important people like Christopher Wren and John Vanbrugh were part of the Commission. They chose two surveyors, and one of them was Nicholas Hawksmoor. Out of the 50 planned churches, only 12 were built. Nicholas Hawksmoor designed six of these churches.
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Discovering Christ Church's Architecture
The design of Christ Church shows Nicholas Hawksmoor's unique style. The main part of the church, called the nave, is a simple rectangular shape. Above it, at the western end, is a wide tower with three sections. The very top of the tower has a steeple that looks more like Gothic style than classical.
There is a grand porch at the western end with a rounded top and Tuscan columns. This porch might have been added later to help support the tower. Like other churches by Hawksmoor and Christopher Wren, the main space inside the church has two main directions. The shorter direction originally had two entrances, but only the one on the south side remains today.
The ceiling inside the church is flat and richly decorated. Light comes in through windows high up, called a clerestory. The side sections, known as aisles, have curved ceilings. These are supported by tall columns. The large window at the east end might show the growing influence of Palladian architecture. This style was popular for its balanced and grand designs. This east window is actually a double window, with one inside and one outside. A Victorian stained glass window is now placed between them.
Robert Venturi, a famous architect, once wrote about the tower of Christ Church. He said it looks like both a wall and a tower. From some angles, the bottom part looks like a wall. But the top part becomes a spire that can be seen from all directions. This spire stands out against the city skyline.
Changes Over Time
In 1850, the church was changed quite a bit by an architect named Ewan Christian. He is also known for designing London's National Portrait Gallery. Christian removed the side galleries and changed some of the windows. He made the upper and lower aisle windows into tall, thin ones.
The Churchyard Today
The churchyard, which was once used for burials, was closed in 1856. In 1892, it was turned into a public garden. This was done by the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. The garden was designed by Fanny Wilkinson. However, much of it was later built over by the church school. Only a small part of the garden remains today.
The Historic Organ
The organ in Christ Church was first played in 1735. It was built by Richard Bridge, a very famous organ builder of his time. With over two thousand pipes, it was the largest organ in England when it was built. It held this record for more than a hundred years!
Even though some changes were made in the 1800s and 1920s, much of Richard Bridge's original organ is still there. The organ stopped working around 1960 and was not played in public for many years. The grand organ case, mostly made of walnut wood, and the fact that so much of the original Georgian parts survived, makes this organ very important for the country's history.
Thanks to a local expert named Michael Gillingham, the decision was made to restore the organ. The parts were carefully taken apart and stored safely while the church building was being restored. An organ builder named William Drake worked on restoring it. The restored organ was put back in the church in 2014.
Today, organ concerts are held throughout the year. These concerts let people hear this amazing historic instrument.
Bringing the Church Back to Life: Restoration
By 1960, Christ Church was almost falling apart. Church services had to be held in a different building because the roof of Christ Church was unsafe. A group called the Hawksmoor Committee helped save the building from being completely torn down. They made sure the roof was rebuilt using money from the sale of another bombed church.
From the 1960s until 2000, a center for homeless men was located in part of the church's crypt. In 1976, a charity called the Friends of Christ Church Spitalfields was formed. Their goal was to raise money and manage the restoration of this very important historic building. They wanted to bring it back into use. Church services returned to the partly restored building in 1987. The full restoration of the building was finished in 2004. This allowed the church to be used for many different activities, as well as for worship.
As part of the restoration, the old burial vaults under the church needed to be cleared. Instead of hiring a regular company, the Friends of Christ Church raised money for an archaeological team. This team carefully studied nearly 1,000 burials between 1984 and 1986. About 390 of these people could be identified from their coffin name plates. The archaeologists learned a lot about how people were buried in Victorian times. They also studied the health and causes of death of the people who lived in the area long ago. This project was written up in a major two-volume study.
The front entrance, called the portico, was repaired and cleaned in 1986. At the same time, the changes Ewan Christian made to the aisle windows were reversed. The original window designs were carefully recreated. The tall 202-foot tower and spire were strengthened and cleaned in 1997.
In 1999, the south side of the church was cleaned and repaired. This showed the bright white color and beauty of the Portland stone. It also revealed the delicate details that had been hidden by weather and city pollution. At the same time, Hawksmoor's grand double staircase on the south side, which had been removed in the 1800s, was rebuilt. The gates to the Rectory yard were also fixed, and the large iron gates were restored. The railings around the churchyard, which were removed during World War II, were replaced. The north and east sides of the church were repaired and cleaned in 1999 and 2000.
The restoration of the inside of the church began in 2000 and finished in 2004. This work fixed the church's structure. It also removed the changes made in the 1800s and 1900s. The original arrangement of the galleries was put back after archaeological research. This brought back the original look, light, and clear design that Hawksmoor intended.
In 2015, the Crypt (the underground area) was also restored. This brought back many of Hawksmoor's original walls. It also created a café area. A ramp was added to make it easy for everyone to access, including people with disabilities. In 2016, the Crypt restoration was nominated for a special award in London.
After many years of being neglected, the church was restored to how it looked before 1850. Workers used original building plans whenever possible. This huge project took more than 25 years. The restoration showed that Christ Church has one of the most detailed and beautiful interiors designed by Hawksmoor in London. Many people helped with the restoration, including architects, church leaders, and generous supporters.
Christ Church Today
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Christ Church is an active evangelical Anglican church. It is part of the HTB network, which is a group of churches. The church has Sunday services at 9 am, 11 am, and 5 pm. Christ Church Spitalfields also offers many activities for families, students, and young adults.
The church regularly runs the Alpha Course. This course is for anyone who has questions about life and faith.
The artist Leon Kossoff made several paintings of Christ Church, starting in 1987.
See also
Images for kids
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View of Christ Church and the fruit and wool exchange in September 2013
