“For the working class,” echoed in the architect’s mind as Edward Blore conceived Christ Church Chapel in 1839. Christ Church was intended to serve Chelsea’s burgeoning population of servants. These individuals worked in the grand houses of Cheyne Walk and Belgravia.
Originally, Christ Church Chapel was a Chapel of Ease. It was connected to St Luke’s Church. Later, in 1860, it gained its own parish. At that time Chelsea was still somewhat separate from London.
The construction of Christ Church Chapel prioritized affordability. It cost just over £4,000. This was significantly less than St Luke’s Church. St Luke’s Church had cost ten times more.
The land where Christ Church Chapel stands was once part of market gardens. These gardens lay just off Flood Street. Flood Street was a main shopping street in Chelsea then.
Christ Church Chapel’s design was traditional. It featured a nave and aisles. Galleries overlooked the aisles and much of the west end. A three-tier pulpit dominated the interior. The altar was behind it. Most services did not include Holy Communion. The choir sat in the west gallery. It was not set aside. The church looked like a non-conformist chapel then.
The Hydman Trust funded Christ Church Chapel’s construction. The Hydman family made their fortune in the West Indies. They owned sugar plantations. They were concerned about the spiritual well-being of the working class. They used their funds to build churches.
Soon after its consecration, Christ Church Chapel established a church school. The school first rented space on Flood Street. It was only for boys. By 1843 new schools for boys and girls were built. Lord Cadogan donated the land. The schools were opposite the church. The school still exists today as a Church of England Primary School.
Edward Blore designed Christ Church Chapel. He was a successful architect in the 1830s. He specialized in church and country house work. He restored Westminster Abbey. He also restored the cathedrals of Peterborough and Glasgow. He designed parish churches, schools, and parsonages. In 1846, he designed a new front for Buckingham Palace.
Blore’s design for Christ Church Chapel reflects his early style. It features Gothic elements. The design retained elegance. It also had symmetry of the Regency period.
Christ Church Chapel gained two significant features in 1876. These were salvaged from churches lost during the construction of Queen Victoria Street. The organ came from St Michael Queenhithe. The case and pipes remain in use today. They are part of a Flentrop organ built in 2009.
The pulpit also came from a city church. It resembles those designed for Wren’s City churches. It is characteristic of Grinling Gibbons’s style.
The parish changed by the 1890s. It became more populous. Its social character changed. New houses were built along the embankment. Tite Street became an artist colony.
Christ Church Chapel was extended and improved. The nave roof was rebuilt. Pillars were encased in plaster. The east and west ends were extended. A little-known architect J. Arthur Reeve designed two new vestries. The western gallery was removed. New pews replaced the old box pews.
W.D. Caroe designed the new west front. He specialized in ecclesiastical work. The west end window depicts the Holy Spirit’s work. It traces from creation to the social justice efforts of William Wilberforce and the Earl of Shaftesbury.
In 1933, an entrance porch designed by G.G. Woodward was added.
Today, Christ Church Chapel dominates the Christchurch Street area. The small scale of this quiet area contrasts with the grandeur of the Royal Hospital and Cheyne Walk.
In 1986, Christ Church Chapel re-joined St Luke’s. Together, they formed “The Parish of Chelsea: Saint Luke and Christ Church.” Each church manages its own affairs. Each church retains the status of a parish church.