Christ Church, Shamley Green

Christ Church is a Church of England parish church in Shamley Green, Surrey, England. It was constructed in 1863 as a chapel of ease and became a parish church in 1881. Christ Church is part of the Church of England's Diocese of Guildford and is a grade II listed building.^[1]

Christ Church
Christ Church
51°10′51″N 0°31′22″W
Location	Shamley Green, Surrey
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Parish church
Consecrated	1881
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Completed	1863
Administration
Province	Canterbury
Diocese	Guildford
Archdeaconry	Surrey
Parish	Shamley Green

History

Christ Church was originally built as a chapel of ease for St John the Baptist Church in nearby Wonersh on land purchased from a Mr H. Street.^[2] The foundation stone for the chapel was laid by the Archdeacon of Surrey, John Utterton.^[3] In 1881, it was decided that the chapel of ease would become an independent parish church as Christ Church.^[4] Two years later, the vicar Edgar Bowring purchased land next to the church to build an eight-bedroom mansion, which he then sold to the Church Commissioners to become Christ Church's vicarage so that he would not have to pay for maintenance. This remained as the vicarage until 1935 when it was sold by the Church due to the cost of maintenance.^[5] The church has a fine collection of stained-glass windows.^[6]

In 1986, it was granted grade II listed status.^[1]

Graveyard

Christ Church had a graveyard, but by 1900 it was almost full. Additional land for burials was given to the church by George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe in 1900. Following the First and Second World Wars, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission became responsible for six of the graves of military personnel buried there, who included the former British Lions rugby union international John Selwyn Moll.^[7] The entertainer Tony Hart is also buried in the churchyard.^[8] as are the cremated remains of Sir Harry Secombe.

Walking trail

In 2016, it was selected as the starting point for a new circular walking trail in Surrey designed to pass by the Wey and Arun Canal and a number of iron railway bridges.^[9]

See also

• List of places of worship in Waverley (borough)

References

1. "CHRIST CHURCH, Wonersh". Historic England. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
2. "Village Design Statement" (PDF). Waverley Borough Council. p. 3. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
3. "Church-Building News". The Builder. 21: 554. 1863. ISSN 0366-1059.
4. "Shamley Green :: History of Christ Church". Diocese of Guildford. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
5. Churchill, Penny (13 June 2019). "Not your typical Old Vicarage, once home to an entrepreneurial vicar in the heart of Surrey". Country Life. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
6. Eberhard, Robert (May 2024). "Showing windows for Christ Church Church in SHAMLEY GREEN, SURREY". Church Stained Glass Records.
7. "Shamley Green (Christ Church) Churchyard". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
8. "Funeral for TV artist Tony Hart". BBC News. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
9. "Guide to historic venues open to public for Heritage Open Days". Get Surrey. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2022.