The church's website (visit
link) gives some history of the churches that have existed on this site:
"HISTORY:
The first church on this site was built in 1670, paid for by a legacy from John
Marshall, a local businessman, on land given by William Angell, the Lord of the
Manor of Paris Gardens. The church, serving the rapidly increasing population on
the south side of the Thames, sank into the Lambeth Marsh and had to be
demolished. The second church, constructed on piles, survived for 200 years
until bombed in 1941. The current building was erected in 1959, paid for and
owned by the Marshall's Charity. The Trustees generously support the maintenance
of the building and the cost of some of the ministry based here.
ARCHITECTURE:
Built: 1957 - 59 Architect: R Paxton-Watson & Barry Costin
The church was consecrated on the 17th December 1959. The structure consists of
a barrel vaulted copper-clad roof supported on a concrete structure, off cavity
walls, with intermediate concrete columns, off a concrete pile and raft
structural foundations. The windows are single-glazed and of the metal casement
variety with leaded lights. The doors, predominantly are of hardwood, and
varnished. There is both stone and brick detailing around parapets, windows, the
tower and brick-chamfered corbelling around the perimeter. The building was
designed so that it could be a multi-purpose building with the chancel and nave
backing directly onto a church hall. Between the two, sliding doors were
incorporated.
DESCRIPTION OF FEATURES:
Welcome to The Parish Church of Christ Church, Southwark, a centre of worship,
Industrial Mission and community involvement in Bankside. We invite you to look
at the features of the building.
The Dedication Stone in the front porch records the opening of the building as
an Industrial Mission Centre in 1960 by The Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke joined
us for our 40th anniversary celebrations in February 2000.
The Stained Glass Windows at ground floor level were installed in 1984 to
celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of the building, illustrating
local companies and organisations.
In the Nave of the church, the high windows, dating from 1959, show Southwark
working life, old and new. A booklet is available if you would like more
details.
The Altar Frontal was made by local unemployed people in 1984. It shows the
world, factories and offices and the ship symbol of the World Council of
Churches - our mission is to all the world.
The Mural behind the altar is of Wall Street in New York, originally made for a
National Theatre production. "The cross in the city" is a powerful symbol of the
mission of the church in business and economic life.
The Iron Chest dates, we are told, from the 17th century. It used to contain old
church records and registers of baptisms, weddings and fimerals, but these are
now kept at the London Metropolitan Archive
The Rectors List on the board in the Ambulatory of the church (near the chest)
records the names of the ministers of the parish since its foundation.
The Wapping Memorial Sculpture in the Hall records the struggle of print workers
against the unilateral decision by Rupert Murdoch to move his newspapers to
Docklands. The poem was written at the time by the last Rector, Peter Challen.
The Hall is still used by Trade Union branches, companies, community groups and
local residents for meetings, training sessions and social events. For details
see Facilities.
The Churchyard is owned by Southwark Council and is a public garden
incorporating a fountain erected in 1900 to mark the opening of the first
garden. The 1941 "cross of fire", the stone plaques by the pub, and the metal
plates along the Colombo Street wall indicating the rows of old graves, all part
of the changes that have taken place in the area."
The church has some amazing stained glass
windows that can be viewed on the church's website (visit
link) to view and read about them in more detail:
"The south bank of the Thames by London's
Blackfriars Bridge is a modest microcosm of the giant modern city. The tiny
parish of Christ Church found there seeks to explore and express the dignity and
potential of human life in the face of rapid change. Such change can excite some
and unnerve others. The Christian faith has a bold contribution in time of
crisis to our pursuit of the opportunities that arise and to our diverting of
the dangers -though let no-one suggest that interpreting and applying that
contribution is easy, or that it is a similar experience for everyone. Windows
in stained glass can be striking, permanent symbols of the need and endeavour to
interpret faith in constant states of change. To that need and endeavour Christ
Church is committed. To record the intention, windows were installed in 1959 and
1984/5. They looked out, at that time and now, upon change which reflected both
danger and opportunity in our locality. The 1959 windows take us back to local
life in the years since Christ Church was founded in 1670 [upper portions] and
illustrate the activities of the day [lower portions]. The apprentice artist who
worked on these designs left his name, K G Bunton, and telephone number in the
windows for the sharp-eyed to spot. The 1984/5 windows portray the changes of 25
years and indicate our task of interpreting a lively faith into the current and
future social, economic and political ways of trying to be human in our day. The
artist of this series, John Lawson, was highly sensitive to the interpretation
and symbolism the sponsors were seeking. The parish origins are delightfully
explained in word and symbol in the eye-level windows of the screened-off bay.
The first church was built on riverside mud; and duly sank 30 years later. The
second church of 1730 was a mighty edifice for worship and was sometimes filled
by residents of the close-packed parish [17,000 people in 45 acres in 1852, for
example]. It burnt to the ground in the war. A cross of concrete in the grass at
the rear now marks where its last remnant fell in flames from the furore. The
event was an example of both danger and opportunity, a crisis through which
faith challenged people of that time to pass with courage and imaginative
rebuilding.
The Trustees of John Marshall's generous and imaginative Will met the challenge.
The new Christ Church rose in 1958/9 to provide facilities and ideas with which
to explore faith in God among the evolving patterns of enterprise that emerged
from war and economic revolution. Residents of the parish then numbered only
2,000, but the employed population present on week-days had risen rapidly past
the old residential level of 17,000. It was clear to some, the ones who won the
day, that the worship of the parish now had opportunity to be interwoven
intimately with work. That is what has been attempted since. Worship is integral
to worth; worth finds a particular expression in work and wealth -two elements
of a socially just and politically democratic society. Worship informs work and
work can interpret worship.
The windows raise questions about the place of faith in everyday life. We invite
readers to visit Christ Church; to ponder the symbolism of the windows and to
ask about the activities of men and women who associate together. We explore the
relevance of faith to both residential and working life in the specific ways
they emerge locally."