Christ Church, Christchurch Road, Streatham, London SW2. This Grade I listed parish church, designed by James William Wild (1814-1892) and built by Thompson of Camberwell Green in 1840-42, was sometimes considered less impressive inside than outside: "The arrangement of the interior is not nearly as impressive as the effect without," wrote a certain A.B.,in a letter to the British Magazine (154). On a basilical rather than cruciform plan, it had its sanctuary in the apse, with Italian mosaics on the walls; shown above left is the central mosaic, showing Jesus blessing the read and wine. And at some point a north chapel, as shown on the right above, was separated from the north aisle by a simple screen. Yet simplicity too can be striking, and the church is often now seen as an early herald of modernism. Perhaps that is why the more recent decoration of this chapel, with its window by John Hayward (installed in 1961) sits so comfortably with its early Victorian surroundings.
The pulpit, seen above from both sides, provides another example of honest, solid, unfussy construction. There is a possible connection here with the architect J. F. Bentley, best known as the architect of Westminster Cathedral. He worked on this church early in his career, and then again later on. In her account of his life, his daughter writes,
Mr. [John] Montefiore, then residing in Christ Church Road, Streatham, became a benefactor also to that parish. Christ Church possesses a pulpit and reading desk, designed by Bentley in 1864, besides stained glass of this period (dealt with in another place) and a font cover and altar cross of later dates. [390]
Some of Bentley's stained glass can certainly be found in the gallery windows here (see link below) and it would be nice to think that the pulpit is also to his design.
The pews and the font are as appealing as the pulpit. There was much discussion at the time over the dimensions of the seating and the potential income from pew-rental, so a great deal of thought must have gone into the financial issues here (see Jackson 234-35), but there has been no stinting on craftsmanship. The commentator in the Christian Remembrancer understood that the design of the whole church was the result of much thought, writing approvingly, "the very simplicity and plainness of the church appears the effect of choice, in the rejection of all trifling ornament, and not a mere matter of economy, or a compromise between the 'style' and the money" ("Christ Church Streatham," 137).
Related Material
- Christ Church, Streatham: I
- Nave Window designed by Walter Crane, The Widow of Nain (installed 1891)
- Nave Window designed by Walter Crane, The Charge to Peter (installed 1891)
- Clerestory windows designed by J. F. Bentley (installed 1864-82)
Bibliography
A.B. "Christ Church, Streatham." The British Magazine and Monthly Register of Ecclesiastical Information.... Vol. XXI (1842): 153-55. Google Books. Free Ebook.
Cherry, Bridget, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Buildings of England. London 2: South. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002.
"Christ Church." Historic England. Web. 22 August 2020.
"Christ Church, Streatham." The Christian Remembrancer; or, The Churchman's Biblical, Ecclesiastical & Literary Miscellany. Vol. 3 (1842): 136-37. Google Books. Free Ebook.
de l'Hôpital, Winefride. Westminster Cathedral and Its Architect: Volume II, The Making of the Architect. 2 vols. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1919. Internet Archive. Contributed by University of California Libraries. Web. 23 August 2020.
Eberhard, Robert, Stained Glass Windows at Christ Church, Streatham, Inner London. Church Stained Glass Windows. Web. 22 August 2020.
Jackson, Neil. "Christ Church, Streatham, and the Rise of Constructional Polychromy." Architectural History 43 (2000): 219-52. Accessed via Jstor. Web. 22 August 2020.
Created 22 August 2020