Christ Church, Gipsy Hill
| Christ Church, Gipsy Hill | |
|---|---|
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| 51°25′18″N 0°05′01″W / 51.4217°N 0.0836°WCoordinates: 51°25′18″N 0°05′01″W / 51.4217°N 0.0836°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.gipsyhill.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | John Giles & Brian Drury |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Lambeth South Deanery |
| Archdeaconry | Lambeth |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwark |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev Jonathan Croucher |
Christ Church in Gipsy Hill is an Anglican Church in the London Borough of Lambeth. The remaining part of the original Victorian church building, the tower, which is now a private dwelling is a Grade II Listed Building and occupies a prominent position, the tower being a notable landmark in the area.
During the first half of the 19th century, the area around Gipsy Hill was sparsely populated, much of it having been part of woodland. The relatively few houses included a mixture of modest cottages and villas for the well-to-do. The opening of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1854 and of Gipsy Hill railway station two years later was followed by considerable residential development in the vicinity.
The parish of Christ Church, Gipsy Hill was formed from the south-eastern part of the parish of St Luke's, West Norwood. In 1862, a temporary iron church with seating for 500 persons was opened on the west side of Gipsy Hill opposite Camden Hill Road. This was replaced by a permanent structure a short distance to the north, on a site at the southern corner of Gipsy Hill and Highland Road that had been given by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Construction began in 1866 and the permanent church was consecrated on 5 June 1867.
In 1886, the population of the parish amounted to 4,668 and a total of three clergy ministered at Christ Church. The total (morning and evening) attendance as a proportion of the parochial population at that time stood at 33.3%. In 1901, the population of the parish stood at 5,338. In the following year, two clergymen were in post and attendance at services represented 28.0% of the parochial population.
For most of its history, there has been a daughter church in the parish. St Jude's mission church was built at Berridge Road in 1880, to a design by Frederic W. Ledger. The building was closed in the 1960s and subsequently demolished. Berridge Road Community Centre, which was constructed and opened in 1995, is currently used for worship.
Based on statistics from the UK census, the Diocese of Southwark estimates the population of Christ Church parish was 6,200 in 2001 and 6,300 in 2011.
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