St Alban's Parish Church is part of the Joint Benefice of Churt (St John's) and Hindhead, and is in the Anglican Diocese of Guildford. The church building, replacing a temporary mission church built in 1904, was phased over a number of years, from 1907 (when Hindhead became a separate parish) to 1915.
Hindhead became a substantial settlement in the late 19th century. In 1904 a temporary mission church was built to serve the new community. An architectural competition to design a permanent church (that of St Albans in Beacon Hill) was held in 1906, and John Duke Coleridge (1879–1934) was chosen as the architect. The first phase, comprising the chancel, north chapel, transept and the lower stage of a projected bell tower, was completed by 1907, and the church gained its own parish in the same year.
A series of windows by the Arts and Crafts designers Karl Parsons and Christopher Whall were installed in the unfinished church between 1908 and 1912. The south transept window (1908) shows Christ the Healer, in recognition of the work of the Australian spiritual healer James Moore Hickson. The sanctuary north window, (1910) features a priest celebrating Communion with St Alban, Queen Bertha of Kent, Caedmon of Whitby and William of Wykeham in attendance. The east window (1912) consists of four lights, depicting the Annunciation, Nativity and Crucifixion, and the risen Christ with Mary Magdalen; in the upper lights, emblems of Hope, Faith, Watchfulness, Prayer and the Eucharist. In the Good Shepherd chapel, the north windows (1912) show: to left, the Virgin and Child with Christ and the children; to right, Christ with St Peter and Christ in Glory. The east window in the chapel (1909) is by Christopher Whall himself, and shows Christ the Good Shepherd.
The three eastern bays of the nave were consecrated in 1915, but the two western bays were not built until 1929–31; the bell-tower was never completed and became in effect a south transept. There followed two additional stained-glass windows by Christopher Webb in 1945 and by Francis Skeat in 1950. A large vestry extension was added in 1964. A fire in 1999 destroyed the original high altar and reredos paintings.
This is a relaunch of a previous multi cache. GZ is different.
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