Christ Church, Southgate

Christ Church, Southgate
Christ Church, Southgate
	Christ Church, Southgate, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, as seen from The Walker Ground
	51°37′29″N 0°07′41″W / 51.62465°N 0.12797°W
Location	Waterfall Road, Southgate, Middlesex, N14 7EG
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Liberal Catholic
History
Status	Active
Consecrated	July 17, 1862
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II* listed
Architect(s)	Sir George Gilbert Scott
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of London
Episcopal area	Edmonton Episcopal Area
Archdeaconry	Archdeaconry of Hampstead
Deanery	Enfield
Parish	Christ Church Southgate
Clergy
Bishop(s)	The Rt Revd Rob Wickham, Bishop of Edmonton
Vicar(s)	Fr Chrichton Limbert

Christ Church, Southgate, is a Church of England parish church in Waterfall Road, Southgate, London. It describes itself as a "liberal catholic Church of England parish".^[1] The building is grade II* listed with Historic England.^[2] In 2014 the church registered as an Inclusive Church. The church choir makes regular recordings and tours as well as supporting worship on Sundays at 10am and at Choral Evensong at 6.30pm.

History

In 1615, Sir John Weld, owner of the Arnos Grove estate, established the Weld Chapel, located just west of Christ Church, at which local people were allowed to worship.^[3] In the 19th century, the Rev. James Baird, a minister of the Weld Chapel who had married into the Walker family who then owned Arnos Grove house, saw that the chapel was too small and dilapidated for current needs, and the Walker family donated land on which Christ Church was built. The architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott (father of George Gilbert Scott Jr.). The church was consecrated by John Jackson, then Bishop of Lincoln and later Bishop of London, on 17 July 1862.^[4]

The Weld Chapel was demolished in 1863 and its site remains marked in the old churchyard outside the west door of the church.^[5]

Choir

Christ Church Southgate has a strong musical tradition, dating back to the time of the Weld Chapel. The choir of Christ Church Southgate has been in existence since the first service held in Christ Church, when the choir was augmented by choristers from St Paul's Cathedral. Originally a choir of men and boys, it is now a mixed choir of adults and junior members. Notable alumni include the acclaimed organist and choral conductor Martin Neary. The choir sings for the main Parish Eucharist every Sunday at 10.00am and Choral Evensong each Sunday at 6.30pm, performs regular concerts and tours to cathedrals around the UK and Europe.

Windows

The church is home to the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows in London by Morris, Marshall Faulkner & Company (later Morris & Co) with work ranging from 1861 to 1913 including windows by Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, Philip Webb, John Henry Dearle and William Morris himself. Other features include fine windows by Clayton & Bell. The Faith & Hope window in the nave of the church, designed by Edward Burne-Jones was installed in memory of Letitia Catherine Hayes, sister of the British Imperial Statesman John Laird Mair Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence, who resided at Southgate House. The great east window by Clayton & Bell was installed in 1862 in memory of Vincent Figgins Jnr, who continued the work of his father Vincent Figgins the type-founder.

Reredos

The reredos, installed in 1868, is a fine mosaic by Antonio Salviati depicting the Last Supper. The cartoon is by John Clayton of Clayton & Bell and is nearly identical to the Salviati reredos in Westminster Abbey, installed a year earlier.

The Walker family

The burial vault of the Walkers of Southgate is located in the churchyard, near the west door. The vault contains the remains of all seven of the famous cricketing Walker brothers. The churchyard also contains the vault of the Taylor family of Grovelands House who, with the Walker family, established the Taylor Walker Brewing Company. The Lady Chapel was decorated in 1905–06 with wall paintings by Percy Bacon Brothers in memory of Issac and Sophia Walker of Arnos Grove and their children.

War memorials

The First World War memorial inside the church was designed by Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott, the grandson of George Gilbert Scott, following a design competition. It lists 146 men from the parish and includes the two sons of the famous detective Frederick Porter Wensley who lived in Powys Lane. Information on some of the men listed can be found in a booklet produced by the church.^[6] The Memorial was installed in 1921. Inside the church hangs a Tricolore presented to Group Captain Alfred Kitchiner 'Ken' Gatward and the Southgate Branch of the Royal British Legion at a ceremony in Broomfield Park in 1949 to commemorate Operation Squabble.

Clergy

Incumbents including the Weld Chapel:^[7]

1615 – 1710 Unknown
1710 – 1722 Samuel Holcombe
1722 – 1730 James Kilner
1730 – 1743 John Harrison
1743 – 1774 Luke Morgan
1774 – 1784 Henry Shepherd
1784 – 1786 Thomas Harding
1786 – 1813 Thomas Winbolt
1813 – 1829 Dawson Warren
1829 – 1852 Thomas Sale
1852 – 1855 Vincent Stanton
1855 – 1858 Trevor Lloyd
1858 – 1893 James Baird
1893 – 1898 Cyril Wilson
1898 – 1905 John Beardall
1905 – 1909 Charles Stookes
1909 – 1937 Charles Frederick Peploe
1937 – 1951 George W. Stainsby
1951 – 1958 Charles Plummer
1958 – 1978 Murray Mcleod
1978 – 1986 Brian Mountford
1986 – 1995 Christopher Foster
1995 – 2003 David Hoyle
2003 – 2015 Peter Jackson
2015 to date Chrichton Limbert^[8]

Angela Berners-Wilson, the first woman ordained a priest in the Church of England, served as deaconess at Christ Church between 1979 and 1982. Other notable curates have included John Yates.

Gallery

The Weld Chapel (right) in 1862 during the construction of Christ Church^[9]
Footprint of the Weld Chapel (1615-1861) now a Garden of Remembrance (built 1967)
Lady Chapel, Christ Church Southgate (reordered 1905) with wall paintings by Percy Bacon Brothers and windows by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company
The Choir of Christ Church Southgate in 1929
St Matthew by William Morris (reputedly a self portrait)
Hope and Faith window by Edward Burne Jones
The Walker Family Vault

References

^ "Christ Church Southgate". Christ Church Southgate. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
^ "CHRIST CHURCH SOUTHGATE PARISH CHURCH – 1294372". Historic England. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
^ Weld Chapel. Christ Church Southgate. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
^ "Southgate Church History", P.G.G., 24 July 1936.
^ Weld Chapel. Christ Church Southgate. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
^ "Christ Church Southgate WW1 Lives Remembered Exhibition" (PDF).
^ "Incumbents of the Weld Chapel & Vicars of Christ Church Southgate" Archived 2017-01-10 at the Wayback Machine, The Spire Archived 2016-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, June 2015, p. 8.
^ "The Vicar – Fr Chrichton Limbert". Christchurch-southgate.org. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
^ Pam, David. (1982) Southgate and Winchmore Hill: A Short History. London: Broomfield Museum. p. 8.