Christ Church

Christ Church is an Anglican parish church dating from 1851, designed by George Gilbert Scott. It is constructed of rock-faced sandstone with Bath ashlar dressings, topped with slate roofs. The church comprises a nave with aisles, transepts, a chancel, and a west tower, with a side organ chamber and Lady chapel added to the chancel. A pair of lobbies are situated on either side of the tower, and a south porch was added in 1916. The architectural style is Early Decorated. The windows are 2-light with quatrefoil heads within the aisles, 4-light in the transepts, and a 5-light east window to the chancel, all featuring Geometric tracery with slight cusping. The three-stage tower includes a west gabled porch and corner buttresses. The belfry openings are 2-light, set within deep-chamfered orders. A broach spire topped with lucarnes at the base and quatrefoils above a clock dating from 1843 is also present. The Lady chapel, added in 1935 by Harold Brakspear, features a canopied figure of The Good Shepherd.

The interior boasts a three-bay arcade supported by octagonal columns. The nave and aisles extend into the transepts and the western bay with minimal visual separation. There are eight clerestory windows, and a roof consisting of crown posts and arch braces with stained rafters and boarding. A rood beam is also visible. The chancel, raised two steps, has three bays and an arch leading to side chambers. The capitals feature semi-naturalistic leaf carvings. Encaustic tiles are present. The chancel was refurbished in 1883. A font dating from 1905 is located at the west end of the aisle; it is square with octagonal corners set on columns. The reredos, from 1896, comprises marble and alabaster with panels depicting the Expulsion from Eden and the Annunciation. A Gray and Davison organ from London is also housed within. The pulpit, crafted in 1906 from marble and alabaster, is octagonal and sits on a columned base, complete with four figures and a marble balustrade. A brass eagle lectern dates from 1881. Stained glass from the periods 1855-60 and 1891-1902 is featured throughout, with a notable window in the north transept depicting a view through hollyhocks and the Christ Church Oxford arms, designed by M. Travers in 1931. A marble war memorial dedicated to victims of the Great War is positioned near the font. Many of the fittings were donated by the Goddard family.