The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and Parts Adjacent, vol. 4
Allen, Thomas
1827
Christ Church.
Is situated in a spacious burial ground, on the west side of . In common with several of the churches in , it possesses no architectural merit. The plan is nearly square; at the west end is a square tower, flanked by lobbies. The | |
530 | walls are of brick with stone dressings. In the centre of the west front is the tower, which is situated partly within, and partly without the wall of the church; the elevation of the western aspect is in stories, the lower has an arched doorway, with a circular window over it, and the and stories have each arched windows enclosed in stone frontispieces; the south and north fronts are concealed to the middle of the story by the roof of the church, which rather awkwardly interferes with the windows of the story; these, as well as the eastern side of the tower, which has only story clear of the church, are uniform with the west front; the walls are finished with a cornice, and the several angles are rusticated. A turret of wood, the plan an octagon, rises above the parapet; it is in heights, the lower forming a plinth to the other; in of the faces are dials; the upper story consists of open arches, and the whole is crowned with a cupola and vane. The wall of the church is finished with a pediment broken by the tower; the flanks are uniform, each contain series of windows enclosed in rusticated frontispieces; the lower are nearly square with segmental arches, and a doorway, with a stone architrave and pediment, is substituted for the from the west. In the upper series are circular arched windows, also enclosed in rusticated frontispieces of stone. The walls are finished with a modillion cornice surmounted by a low parapet. The east front has a large arch in the centre, partly occupied by a wall, and in other parts by a palladian window; on each side of this are doorways, with pediments surmounted by windows of a similar character with the flanks. The elevation is finished with the continued modillion cornice and a pediment; in the tympanum a circular window. All the angles of the church are rusticated, and the roof is covered with slate. The interior shews an unbroken area, and in consequence has a plain naked appearance; the walls are finished by a cornice, on which rests an horizontal ceiling; it is pannelled, having a large square in the centre, enriched with guillochi, and an expanded flower in the middle; around it are parallelograms and square pannels. A gallery occupies the west, north, and south sides; the front is oak, pannelled and sustained on iron columns; the south and north sides of the gallery were erectedin , and the fronts are so well assimilated with the original western gallery, as to appear the work of period. At the west end are additional galleries in recesses, formed over the vestry and lobby, which contain seats for the charity children. The altar screen is very plain, it is painted to imitate verd antique, and is divided by antae into compartments, bearing the usual inscriptions, and crowned with an entablature and elliptical pediment; the pulpit and desks are grouped on the south side of the central aisle; the former is hexagonal with pannelled fronts, it has a sounding board and ogee canopy of the same form, resting on Corinthian columns. The organ is placed in the western gallery, the case is very plain. The font is a neat marble basin. On the front of the |
531 | western gallery is an inscription, stating that the north and south galleries were erected in , at the charge of the parishioners. The great east window contains some ornamental stained glass, and a painting of the descending dove; in the side ones are the following coats of arms: north of the altar, the see of Winchester impaled with , a lion rampant sa. crowned or, the whole encircled in the garter, and surmounted with a mitre, being the arms of bishop Morley, who consecrated the church on its erection in . South, , a chevron cotised between bucks heads Crest. A greyhound sejant gorged, with a collar gu. ringed or, resting his dexter foot on a buck's head, cabossed of the , the arms of Marshall. This church was laid open to the street by the removal of a row of houses which stood on the present pathway, between the years and , and the present iron railing was then erected. Before then the regular approach to the church was by . The churchyard was enlarged by the addition of a large piece of ground south west of the church, which was obtained by pulling down several houses in . |
In the church yard is a plain stone to the memory of Thomas Wyon, esq. chief engraver of his majesty's Mint, died , aged . This gentleman, as the inscription records,
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In this parish is a charity school for boys and girls, maintained by subscription, a workhouse, and a neat alms-house, in , founded about the year , by Charles Hopton, esq. for decayed housekeepers, each of whom has an upper and lower room, with per annum and a chaldron of coals. | |