Christ Church

Christ Church, Lancaster

A church built between 1855 and 1857, designed by Henry Martin of London and funded and endowed by Samuel Gregson MP. The building is constructed of squared coursed sandstone with slate roofs.

The plan comprises a nave with a west baptistry and twin turrets, a north porch, a lower chancel, a south aisle and south chapel under a pitched roof, a south porch positioned in the angle between the aisle and chapel, a north transept, and a north vestry under an M-roof on an east-west axis. A south chapel and south aisle were added subsequently, and a baptistry was added in 1895 by Austin and Paley.

Externally, the pointed arch windows mostly contain Geometrical tracery. The west towers have square bases that broach to octagons and are capped by stone spirelets above bell openings with gablets and engaged shafts. The south tower bell openings are now blocked with masonry. The tower bases are linked below the 5-light west window by the added baptistry, which features Perpendicular tracery and is canted forwards at its centre. The west window of the aisle is of 3 lights. The south aisle comprises 5 bays separated by buttresses, with a window of 2 trefoiled lights; a 6th bay has a 3-light window and probably represents an alteration of the former south transept. The north nave wall has one bay to the west of the porch and 3 to the east, all with 2-light windows. The gabled porch has a moulded pointed outer doorway with angle shafts. The transept has a 3-light window to the north and one of 2 lights to the west. The north wall of the vestry has a mullioned window of 4 trefoiled lights and a doorway with a Caernarfon arch. Its east wall contains 2 windows of 2 lights with pointed heads. The chancel east window is of 3 lights, and the east windows of the chapel and south aisle are each of 2 lights. The chapel's south wall has 2 windows of 2 lights. The gabled south porch has a chamfered pointed doorway facing east.

Internally, the pointed arches of the 4-bay nave arcade are moulded in 2 orders and die into slender chamfered piers. The 5th, eastern, bay has an arch formerly opening into the south transept, with semi-octagonal responds. The baptistry is entered through 3 arched openings with carved angels positioned above their separating columns. The font is constructed of sandstone and marble with a timber cover in the form of a Gothic spire, suspended from an iron crane. The ceiling is panelled and painted. The north transept was originally used by inhabitants of the Workhouse; in 1907 the present organ was installed, and its pipes and casing, which is painted and gilded, now fill the transept arch. The nave has an open timber roof with principal rafters rising from wall corbels, high collars with king posts and curved braces. The pointed chancel arch is moulded, with the inner order carried on corbelled shafts with foliated capitals. To its south, a smaller moulded pointed doorway with angle shafts leads into the chapel. The boarded chancel ceiling and chapel ceiling are both boarded with painted panels and ribs. Between the chancel and chapel are 2 moulded pointed arches springing from a central clustered column. A marble reredos was added in 1926. The stained glass includes work by Casolani, made by Powell in 1865, and Powell glass of 1857.

The church was built following the removal of Lancaster Grammar School to a nearby site in East Road. It was also intended for use by inhabitants of the Workhouse, which stood immediately opposite on the east side of Wyresdale Road. Firms involved in construction included MC Baynes (masonry), C Blades (joiners and builders), Cross (slaters and plasterers), and Willan and Cleminson (plumbers and glaziers).