Christchurch

Christ Church is a parish church located on the southwest side of Rickmansworth Road in Chorleywood. The building was originally constructed in 1845 by B. Ferry, then substantially rebuilt between 1869 and 1870 by G.E. Street, except for the tower. The spire was raised and the tower buttressed in 1881–82 to Street's designs. The church is constructed of knapped flint with Bath and Wycombe stone dressings and tiled roofs, with a shingled spire. It is designed in the Early English Gothic Revival style.

The church comprises a four-bay nave with a south aisle, a two-bay chancel with a south chapel, a north porch and vestry, and a west tower. A hall addition was made to the west in 1973.

The north side of the nave features three three-light pointed arched windows with geometrical tracery and chamfered and hollow moulded surrounds, with a plinth, continuous sill band, hood moulds, and buttresses. A steeply gabled porch stands to the west with a pointed and moulded entrance arch with chamfered jambs and hood mould, a ridge cross to the coped gable parapet, and an inner entrance with a trefoil-headed inner arch and cusped outer arch with colonnettes in the jambs and an original strap-hinged door. To the west of the porch is a two-light window with a cinquefoil head. A diagonal buttress with a moulded base stands to the west. A coped parapet appears at the east end of the nave.

The south aisle and chapel have continuous and separate roofs. Five windows, articulated by buttresses in a 2:2:1 arrangement, each have two lights with pointed heads and geometrical tracery, with a continuous sill band and hood mould. A diagonal buttress stands to the west. At the west end of the south aisle is a tall pointed arched three-light window. Towards the east on the south wall of the south chapel is an inserted twentieth-century entrance with a pointed head. Angle buttresses stand at the east end, which features a round light with foiled tracery.

The chancel is slightly lower and set back slightly to the north. Its east end has a tall pointed arched three-light window with geometrical tracery and a ridge cross on a coped gable parapet, with diagonal buttresses. The chancel's south return features a pointed traceried three-light window with a quatrefoiled panelled base. The north return comprises a steeply gabled two-storey vestry with an entrance to the north with a trefoil-arched head and strap-hinged door, an upper tripartite trefoiled lancet window with a relieving arch and coped gable parapet, and clasping buttresses. A stack with offsets stands where the ridge meets the chancel. Flanking the chancel north wall are pointed, traceried two-light windows.

The tower is divided into three stages by string courses, with a plinth, louvred lancets, and clocks in the upper stage. Original clasping buttresses and circa 1881 two-stage diagonal buttresses stand to the west. A triple lancet appears in the second stage to the west above the 1973 addition. A moulded corbel table stands below a broached spire with a lower belfry having eight trefoil-headed openings to each side. Lucarnes with foiled openings ornament the spire.

The interior remains much as Street designed and furnished it. A four-bay south arcade features piers of four half-columns with shafts at the angles, moulded caps, and double chamfered pointed arches. The chancel arch is heavily moulded with short respond colonnettes with stiff-leaf caps and an inscription below the hood mould around the extrados. A tall pointed tower arch with hollow and ovolo mouldings stands prominently. Inner hood moulds surround the windows. The east window has marble colonnettes in its jambs with an inscription around the extrados. A triple traceried opening from the chancel to the south chapel, formed by two intersecting pointed arches with a way through to the left, is filled with a decorative wrought-iron door and grilles. Sedilia and a piscina appear on the chancel south wall. Painted inscriptions decorate the east wall. The nave and south aisle walls retain original polychrome tiling below sill level.

The nave roof features scissor braces with cusped arched braces, patterned spandrels, and curved wind braces. The south aisle has collar beam trusses with cusped arched braces. The ceiled chancel roof retains an original painted decorative scheme.

Furnishings include a stone reredos depicting Christ in Glory, dated 1872; a semi-octagonal stone pulpit with foiled panels and a stiff-leaf frieze; a font at the west end of the south aisle, octagonal with foiled panels and crocketing; an oak altar table with foiled and foliate carving and painted decoration; a screen to the south chapel from the south aisle, dated 1873, with delicately carved traceried panels and poppyhead finials to the choir stalls; a brass lectern; and six brass hanging lights in the nave and south aisle.

The east window of 1872 and others were created by Clayton and Bell, whilst some nave windows were made by Heaton and Butler.