A Brief History of Christ Church, Southborough

Christ Church is a grade II listed building that was consecrated in 1871 and was known, initially, as the Maid’s church, as most of those who attended were poor – the gentry going to St Peter’s.

The need for the new church was demonstrated by the rising population figures and the seat capacity at St. Peter’s. in 1861 the population of Southborough had nearly doubled that of 1839 and as early as 1851 the vicar, Rev. Stephen Langston, advised the Trustees of St Peter’s Church that consideration should be given to the enlargement of the Church.

There was no free, state education for children until the Foster Act of 1870, so poor people often saw the church as a free source of education for their children and tried to attend churches that ran Sunday schools.

In 1858 it was suggested that a transept be added but this was put on hold as a Mrs Pugh was building St Thomas’s church which opened in 1861.

In 1864 Rev.Langston again appealed to the Trustees that “there was a diminution of room in the church owing to the present fashion in dress among both the upper and lower classes.” In other words the style of Ladies dresses had become more voluminous. He proposed that a new church be built in Brightridge. (Prospect Road was originally called Brightridge Lane)

In 1868 Mr Woolley of Holden House offered to give a site on his land plus £100 to build a new church at Brightridge. This offer was refused with thanks, with the Trustees stating that they would “thankfully receive a site for a chapel- at- ease at some future time. The Trustees felt that, having just enlarged St. Peter’s and provided a school where ‘divine worship’ could be conducted, there was not a need for a third church in the parish.

In 1870 Christ Church building started and the cost was £2,400 (the cost of building St Peter’s was £4000 in 1830).

In 1871 Christ Church opened for worship. At the time it consisted only of the Chancel (the space around the altar) with the organ chamber and Vestry on either sides and the Transepts

Chancel highlighted

Transepts highlighted

In 1886 the Nave was added as a memorial to Colonel and Mrs Blackburn-Maze whose family had offered £1000 to the building of the church and aisles were added as a memorial to Colonel Blackburn-Maze by his friends and the inhabitants of Southborough.

Nave highlighted

The church was completed in 1888.

(Subsequently £21.25 was paid for constructing paths, £1.82 for an iron ladder to ascend into the loft of the porch – which is still used! And £5 for a safe – which was stolen a few years ago!)

In 1889 the “Carr Memorial Parsonage” was built next to Christ Church. This was the home to successive Curates – in – charge of Christ Church, then became the Vicarage and later the Rectory.

Pew rents were a source of additional revenue in many churches from the early 17th Century until the 20th century where worshipper rented seats in order of social precedence. In 1930 Christ Church had 300 seats, half of which were free from pew rent. Pew rents were abolished at St Peter’s in 1943 and probably at Christ Church at the same time.

A religious census in 1841 showed that although church attendance was high, many churches were too crowed for the poor to be accommodated as better-off people rented pews and reserved them, even if they did not attend church. “This state of affairs would not foster moral living among the working classes!” The space where the pipe organ stood is now a side prayer chapel.

In 1980 alterations and additions were made to provide a Day Care Centre for use by Age Concern. Part of the alterations was to replace the pews with chairs after which Christ Church seated about 200 people. Age Concern relinquished their use of the Day Care Centre in 2009 since when the Church has provided many varied activities for the local community.

In 2017 an Annexe was added to the south side of the church after a considerable period of fund- raising by the congregation.