Family Pew. New Church, by Robert Taylor Pritchett (1828–1907). 1868. Pen-and-ink. Shown at the "Drawing Esher" exhibition of R. T. Pritchett's pen-and-ink drawings, held at the Civic Offices in Esher, Surrey, 31 January - 21 September 2023. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
The "new" church was Christ Church, Esher, designed by Benjamin Ferrey and opened in 1854, was built to accommodate a congregation that was now too large for the "old" St George's, nearby. Despite its Gothic Revival style, the contrast could hardly be greater. His fairly conventional view of the church exterior, seen from Esher Green, is complemented here by a more impressive one of the interior. The effect is gained by focussing on the height of the tall arch to the south aisle chapel, and showing it decorated with celebratory Christmas greens. The family pew might well by that of the wealthy local family, the Spicers, as the display card at the exhibition suggests, since it is unlikely that the Pritchett family would have been given such prominence.
Photograph, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee; photograph reproduced here by kind permission of Elmbridge Museum and the Civic Offices, Esher.
Bibliography
"Robert Taylor Pritchett Sketch." Elmbridge Museum. https://elmbridgemuseum.org.uk/objects-in-focus/robert-taylor-pritchett-sketch/
Created 10 September 2023