Church Of Christ Church With Railings

The Church of Christ Church is a former chapel of ease that became a parish church, dating largely from 1725. It was enlarged in 1841 by T. Foster of Bristol, with alterations in 1857 by F.T. Gompertz and further modifications in 1890 by B. Edmund Ferrey. The building is constructed of ashlar and coursed rubble limestone, with a decorative plain tile roof. It consists of a nave with a north aisle, a west tower, two south porches, and a chancel with a north vestry. The architectural style is Neo-Norman. The south side of the nave has five tall, round-arched windows, with a linking string course at the arch springing level and a sill-level string course. There are two parapet gabled porches with Norman archways, and diagonal offset buttresses to the ends of the nave. The north aisle has eight transverse gables, seven of which contain round-arched windows featuring coloured glass. The three-stage west tower has a squat, broach tile-hung spire, with Norman-style arches to each stage and two-light belfry openings. The chancel has a Norman-style east triplet window, with a round window above.

The interior features a broad nave with a seven-bay, round-arched north arcade supported by tall Roman Doric columns. The transverse aisle is tunnel-vaulted and the nave roof is timber-boarded with compartment ribs and a coved cornice. A three-centred chancel arch provides access to the chancel. Several fittings were created by the Sapperton Arts and Crafts group, including an openwork choir screen and organ loft panelling by Norman Jewson. A fine lectern incorporates ivory and mother-of-pearl inlay by Peter Waals. The circular stone font, featuring a fish carving by William Simmonds, has a tall timber cover by Norman Jewson with silverwork by George Hart. Stained glass is present in the south nave windows, created by Edward R. Payne in 1951. A wall monument commemorates John William Jones, who died in 1860, depicting a figure of a mourner and an urn. The south frontage is enclosed by iron railings with principal posts terminating in urn finials. Originally built as a “neat chapel” in 1725 by Chalford residents, the building was enlarged and became a district church in 1842.