Christ Church is Grade II listed building standing in a prominent position on the west side of Gipsy Hill immediately north of its junction with Highland Road. The church that was consecrated in 1867 was designed by John Giles of Giles, Gough and Trollope. A large ragstone edifice with slated roofs, it consisted of a nave, aisles and a short apsidal chancel. Only 40 feet of the tower were included at that stage. Further building work in 1889 completed the tower and added a vestry and porch. The building was listed as of special architectural or historic interest in 1981 and the description on the English Heritage website relates to its condition at that time.
The majority of the Victorian building was destroyed by fire in 1987, almost the only fabric remaining from the 19th century being the tower. A new church building, designed by Brian Drury, was erected on the cleared site, providing a hexagonal worship area that connects directly to an entrance lobby and to the Goodliffe Hall, a 1960s structure that also survived the conflagration. The new building is of reinforced concrete structure, with timber roof trusses and is entered from Highland Road.
The Victorian church tower is of four stages with a short pyramidical spire and angle turrets. Since the fire in 1987, it has been extended, supplied with a lift and converted into a very unusual detached house called “Highland Tower”. Because of its size and commanding position on the upper part of a steep hill, this tower is a notable landmark.
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”