St Christopher's Church, Sneinton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Christopher's Church, Sneinton |
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| The Church of St. Christopher with St. Philip, Sneinton | |
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| 52°57′00″N 1°7′29″W / 52.95000°N 1.12472°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Open Evangelical |
| Website | achurchnearyou.com/sneinton-st-christopher |
| History | |
| Founded | Church of England |
| Dedication | St. Christopher |
| Consecrated | 1 December 1910 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Frank Edwin Littler |
| Groundbreaking | 1909 |
| Completed | 1910 |
| Construction cost | £7,000 (equivalent to £512,100 in 2021) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Sneinton |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwell |
| Province | York |
St. Christopher's Church, Sneinton is a Church of England church located in Sneinton, a part of Nottingham, England. It is a place where people gather for worship and community events.
Contents
History of St. Christopher's Church
The church you see today was built on the same spot where an older, smaller church and school used to stand. This older building was made of iron.
Moving the Old Church Building
Before the new church could be built, the old iron school room needed to be moved. It was about 14 meters long and 6 meters wide. Workers carefully loosened it from its base. They put strong beams underneath it. Then, using special hydraulic jacks, they lifted the building. They placed it onto rollers. A team of 17 men then slowly moved the school room about 12 meters away.
Two weeks later, the larger iron church building was moved in the same way. This church was quite heavy, weighing between 60 and 80 tons. It measured about 25 meters long and 12 meters wide. Amazingly, the pews, organ, and other items inside were left untouched during the move! The church was shifted about 21 meters.
Building the New Church
The new St. Christopher's Church was built in a style called "early Decorated Gothic." This means it has a classic, detailed look often seen in old churches. It has two side aisles and parts that stick out on the north and south sides, called transepts.
The church was officially opened and blessed on December 1, 1910. This ceremony was led by Rt. Revd. Edwyn Hoskyns, who was the Bishop of Southwell at the time. The new building replaced the temporary "tin church" that had been used since 1902. St. Christopher's became the main church, taking over from an even older church built in 1885 on Meadow Lane. That older church then became a mission church, used for special services.
Wartime Damage and Rebuilding
During World War II, Nottingham faced air raids. On May 8 and 9, 1941, a major air raid, known as the Nottingham Blitz, badly damaged St. Christopher's Church. Only the outer walls were left standing. Another nearby church, St. John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, Nottingham, was completely destroyed in the same attack. The original mission church on Meadow Lane was also destroyed.
Because St. Christopher's was so damaged, its members joined with St. Philip's Church, Pennyfoot Street for services. After the war, restoration work on St. Christopher's was finished in 1952. Later, in 1963, St. Philip's Church was taken down. To remember it, St. Philip's name was added to St. Christopher's, making it "The Church of St. Christopher with St. Philip."
You can find a more detailed history of the church on the Southwell DAC Church History Project website.
Church Organ
The church has a special musical instrument called a pipe organ. This organ has two keyboards, called manuals. It was built in 1953 by a company named Cousans from Lincoln. The "reeds" (parts of the organ that make certain sounds) were tuned by a person named Billy Jones. You can find more technical details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register website.
