Christchurch

Christchurch is a church dating from 1910, designed by George Baines for the Congregational Union. It is built in the Perpendicular style, with a Greek cross plan and a south-west corner tower, alongside attached church rooms to the north. The construction incorporates red brick, stone, white brick, and terracotta dressings, with tile roofs.

The south, west, and east elevations feature prominent gabled transepts, each with a seven-light Perpendicular window set beneath a segmental arch. These transepts are flanked by embattled, buttress-like turrets with diagonal buttresses. There’s a three-bay blind arcade in each gable; the one on the south front is in stone, with a stone finial, while the others are in brick. Flowing moulded stone copings are present throughout. West and east aisles have three-light windows with flowing stops to the hood mould. A canted south porch is set beneath a gable embellished with a stone cross, richly flowing moulded copings, and buttresses, with foliate bosses to the hood mould. It has a pair of tongue and groove doors with leaded and glazed upper lights, flanked by traceried rectangular lights.

The four-stage buttressed tower has a facetted spire. The tower’s brickwork is red with stone bands, with the spacing of these bands increasing with height. The south entrance to the tower is treated as porch doors with paired rectangular openings on the first stage, tall lancets on the second stage, and three-light traceried, louvred belfry openings above. A pierced stone parapet features heavy moulded string courses below and gargoyles at the angles. A facetted tiled spire tops the tower, along with a weathervane. A central facetted fleche rises from the roof, featuring a wide leaded brim and a lead spire. The building has dated rainwater goods.

Inside, the church provides a single, open space with a roof carried on stone arches, supported by four square, polished marble piers. These piers have tall stone bases and moulded capitals. The roof is boarded, with moulded beams radiating from a central pierced rose. Beaten copper hanging light fittings illuminate the interior. A south gallery features traceried timber panels and raked seating. Below this is a glazed screen with a pair of part-glazed doors at each end, leading to the porch. Coloured glass panels are present. Seating from 1910 is arranged in a curve, with the front row removed to accommodate an enlarged dais which contains an inserted baptistery. The sanctuary has a timber-panelled reredos and seating for the choir and ministers. Flanking panelled doors have blind traceried heads.