Christ Church, Turnham Green

Christ Church, Turnham Green is a Grade II listed Anglican church sited on the eastern half of Turnham Green in Chiswick, west London.^[3] The church and the green on which it sits are local landmarks, and are considered of special historic interest by the London Borough of Hounslow.^[4]

Christ Church, Turnham Green
Christ Church, Turnham Green
51.4921°N 0.2651°W / 51.4921; -0.2651
Location	Town Hall Avenue, Chiswick, London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.christchurchw4.com
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1843
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Designated	1843
Architect(s)	Sir George Gilbert Scott[1]
Style	Gothic revival
Specifications
Materials	Flint with stone dressings
Administration
Diocese	London
Archdeaconry	Middlesex
Deanery	Hounslow
Parish	Turnham Green
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Nicola Moy[2]
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated	21 May 1973
Reference no.	1189239

History

Christ Church was commissioned in 1841 to serve the growing population of the suburb of Turnham Green who found it inconvenient to walk to St Nicholas Church by the River Thames. The building cost £6,900; the Church Building Commissioners contributed £500 under the Church Building Act 1818, and therefore Christ Church is deemed a Commissioners' church.^[5]

A re-ordering took place in the early 1990s, during which the pews were removed and replaced with discrete chairs, and the floor concreted and carpeted. In 2000 the west bays were converted into two-storey community rooms under the supervision of architect Ian Goldsmith.^[6]

Architecture

The church was designed in the Gothic revival style by Sir George Gilbert Scott and his partner William Moffatt; construction was completed in 1843. In 1887 the chancel was extended and given the current square eastern end under architect James Brooks.^[1]

The design of Christ Church was praised in the 1841 edition of the journal The Ecclesiologist, which stated that the tower and spire were "peculiarly excellent, and worthy of any ancient architect".^[7]

Daughter church

St Alban's Church, Acton Green (St Alban the Martyr), on the green at the northern edge of Chiswick, which had fallen into disuse, was restored and rededicated in 2016, and now forms part of the Christ Church ministry.^[8][9]

References

1. Bolton, Diane K.; Croot, Patricia E. C.; Hicks, M. A. (1982). Baker, T. F. T.; Elrington, C. R. (eds.). A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7. London: Victoria County History. pp. 90–93.
2. "The Team". Christ Church W4. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
3. Historic England. "Christ Church (1189239)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
4. "Turnham Green Conservation Area Appraisal" (PDF). London Borough of Hounslow. January 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
5. Port, M. H. (2006). 600 New Churches: the Church Building Commission 1818-1856 (2nd ed.). Reading: Spire Books. ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4.
6. "Christ Church". Historic England. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
7. "New Churches". The Ecclesiologist. 1: 53. 1841.
8. "Multi-site Church Plan for St. Alban's". ChiswickW4. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
9. "The Bishop of London rededicates renovated St Alban's Acton Green Common". Diocese of London. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2018.