Christ Church and St Stephen

In the shadow of Hawksmoor’s masterpiece, Christ Church and St Stephen, lies a tale as intricate as the carvings adorning its facade. Christ Church and St Stephen wasn’t always the serene sanctuary you see today. It emerged from a London teeming with anxieties, a city grappling with rapid growth and a burgeoning population on the fringes of the City. Established by the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711, Christ Church and St Stephen was part of a grand vision to bring the “Godless thousands” back into the Anglican fold. This act, championed by Queen Anne and funded by a tax on coal, aimed to erect fifty new churches, each with a spire intended to overshadow any dissenting houses of worship. The very architecture of Christ Church and St Stephen speaks to this ambition. Its construction, spanning from 1714 to 1729, was overseen by Nicholas Hawksmoor, a protégé of Sir Christopher Wren. The church’s design reflects Hawksmoor’s signature style, a blend of grandeur and peculiarity. A simple rectangular nave juxtaposed with a three-stage tower, topped by a steeple more Gothic than classical. The imposing portico, a potential later addition for structural support, stands as a testament to evolving architectural thought. Inside, Christ Church and St Stephen once boasted two entrances, emphasizing the shorter axis, though only the southern one remains. The flat, richly decorated ceiling, illuminated by a clerestory, creates a sense of awe. The aisles, with elliptical barrel-vaults supported by Composite order columns, recall Wren’s St. James’s, Piccadilly. This same order graces the screens at the east and west ends. The Venetian window at the east hints at the growing Palladian influence, echoing the arched pediment of the portico and the tower’s main stage. The foundation stone of Christ Church and St Stephen was laid in 1715 by Edward Peck, a dyer residing on Red Lion Street, himself a Commissioner for Building Fifty New Churches. Peck was a key figure in the church’s early history, signing numerous petitions and the site plan, and he was later granted a pew and a family vault within the church. However, the path to completion was not without its bumps. Financial difficulties and construction hiccups plagued the project. The bricklayers’ work was initially deemed substandard, leading to dismissals and reinstatements. The church stood for years with an unfinished west front, sans spire or portico. The spire and portico, perhaps prompted by a desire for balanced grandeur, were finally added around 1725. Christ Church and St Stephen finally opened its doors in 1729, consecrated by Bishop Edmund Gibson. The final cost, a staggering £39,162, exceeded the initial estimate by more than four times. Yet, even in its completed state, Christ Church and St Stephen wasn’t universally admired. Critic Ralph, just five years after its consecration, deemed it “one of the most absurd piles in Europe.” History, however, has been kinder. The church stands today as a testament to Hawksmoor’s vision, a blend of ambition, artistry, and the ever-changing face of London.