Church of Christ the King, Bloomsbury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of Christ the King, Bloomsbury |
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Church of Christ the King
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 Church of Christ the King, Bloomsbury
Location in Central London
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| 51°31′24.5″N 0°7′53.7″W / 51.523472°N 0.131583°W | |
| OS grid reference | TQ296822 |
| Location | London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Catholic Apostolic Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | Christ the King |
| Dedicated | 25 December 1853 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Architect(s) | Raphael Brandon |
| Years built | 1850–1854 |
| Groundbreaking | 27 June 1851 |
| Completed | 1856 |
The Church of Christ the King is a historic church located in Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London. It belongs to the Catholic Apostolic Church. This church is right next to Dr Williams's Library and close to University College London. The church is currently used by the Anglican Euston Church for Sunday services. Its smaller English Chapel is used by Forward in Faith for weekday services. The building has been a very important Grade I listed building since June 10, 1954. This means it is protected for its special historical and architectural importance.
Contents
Building the Church
The Church of Christ the King was built in a style called Neo-Gothic. This style looks like the old Early English churches from hundreds of years ago. The church has a cruciform (cross-shaped) design. It was built by an architect named Raphael Brandon between 1850 and 1854. The inside was designed in 1853.
The church is made from Bath stone with a tiled roof. It was never fully finished. Two parts on the west side were not built, so a planned front entrance was never completed. Also, a tall tower with a 150-foot spire was planned for the middle, but only the base was built.
The church's cross shape includes a main hall called a nave, with upper levels (a triforium and clerestory) and side aisles. It also has a special area called a sanctuary and a smaller Lady Chapel. All the outside corners of the church have eight-sided towers with pointed tops.
The main entrance is on the east side, from Gordon Street. You enter through a gabled porch. There is also another entrance on the north side, reached by a covered walkway.
The main hall, or nave, is very tall, only 13 feet shorter than the famous Westminster Abbey. It has a beautiful wooden roof that looks like a hammer beam design, decorated with angels and snowflake patterns. Inside the nave, there is a special chair called a cathedra. This chair was for the 'angel' (a leader similar to a bishop) of the Catholic Apostolic Church.
Crossing and Transepts
The area where the nave crosses the side sections is called the crossing. It has large, curved arches supported by groups of columns. The side sections, called transepts, have gabled roofs. Each transept has two rows of three tall, narrow windows below a round rose window.
The windows in the south transept are the original ones and are very special. The lower windows show Christ surrounded by saints, apostles, and angels. The round rose window above it was made by Archibald Keightley Nicholson. It features a dove in the center, surrounded by angels playing music and other heavenly figures.
Sanctuary and Lady Chapel
The sanctuary is the sacred area at the front of the church. It has a stone-ribbed ceiling with carved decorations. It also features a special lamp designed by Augustus Pugin. Beyond the sanctuary is the three-bay Lady Chapel, which used to be called the English Chapel. A screen separates it from the main sanctuary. The Lady Chapel has a beautifully painted wooden roof and stone angels. Its east side has arched windows below a small rose window.
Annette Peach, an expert on architects, noted that while the church used features from older designs, it was also unique. It combined styles from the 13th and 15th centuries, showing how much the Brandon brothers studied church architecture. The church was officially recognized as a Grade I listed building on June 10, 1954, meaning it is a very important historic building.
The Church Organ
In 1853, a wonderful organ was installed in the church by Gray and Davison. It was a large organ with three keyboards and foot pedals. It had many different sounds, or "stops," including 13 on the Great-organ, 12 on the Swell-organ, 10 on the Choir-organ, and 8 on the pedal. It also had 6 couplers to combine sounds. You can find more details about the organ on the National Pipe Organ Register. One of the first people to play the organ there was Edmund Hart Turpin. In 1903, a deeper bass sound was added to the choir-organ.
University Church Role
From 1963 to 1994, the church was known as the University Church of Christ the King. During this time, it served as a place of worship for students and colleges in the Diocese of London. It was a popular spot for students living nearby. The church was also used for larger events across London, with a strong focus on music during services. Famous musicians like Ian Hall, Alan Wilson, and Simon Over directed the music here.
This new role began on October 6, 1963, with a morning service led by the Bishop of London, Robert Stopford. An evening service that day featured a sermon by a former Bishop of London, J. W. C. Wand. On November 27, 1988, a special service was held to celebrate 25 years of the church's role as a university church. A memorial service for the famous architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner also took place here on December 6, 1983.
The last Sunday service for the Chaplaincy was held on June 28, 1992. However, weekday services continued in the English Chapel. The very last chaplaincy service was on Ash Wednesday, February 16, 1994. The Diocese handed back the church's lease to its trustees on June 30, 1994. For several years, a popular student cafe called the Crypt Café operated in the church's basement until that date.
Current Use
Euston Church
Since September 2015, Euston Church has been holding services in the building. This is a new church started by St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate, which is part of the Church of England. They have services at 11 AM, 3 PM, and 5 PM on Sundays.
Forward in Faith
The Lady Chapel, also known as the English Chapel, is located at the east end of the church. It is used by the Anglican Forward in Faith movement. They hold a Mass service there every weekday at 12:30 PM.
