Christ Church in Wimbledon

 

A headstop on the porch

Halfway through my walk from Crooked Billet to Copse Hill, after passing several historic houses built in various types of brick, I unexpectedly came across Christ Church – on the corner of Copse Hill and Cottenham Park Road – which was built in 1860 by S.S. Teulon, with the addition of a west bay and west wall by Charles Maylard in 1881.

A general view of Christ Church

My first impression was that the coursed and squared walling looked very similar to the Kentish Rag, which I had seen at many places in the City of London the day before, with Bath Stone used for the quoins and dressings.

 

The east end

 

When living in south-east London and working in the building restoration industry, I passed many stone built Victorian churches where Bath Stone is typically used for the dressings to similar walling, which I have always assumed to be Kentish Rag.

 

The south transept and the chancel

Even when seen from afar, the colours of these Cretaceous building stones – which vary from calcareous sandstones to siliceous limestones - are very distinctive, in that the mineral glauconite gives them their distinctive grey/green hues. They also develop a very noticeable brown patina, produced by the oxidation of this iron bearing mineral.

 

The chancel window

Moving closer to the east end of the church, where the chancel window is recessed and slightly sheltered, the Bath Stone used for the Decorated Gothic style tracery has developed a honey coloured patina, which is typical in the London environment. The head, jambs and sills, however, are more exposed and the surface of the stone has been kept clean by rain and it retains its original pale cream colour.

 

A view along the south elevation

Beneath the string course below the window, the drip has thrown water away from the walling and the stone has weathered with quite a distinct brown patina, which is emphasised by the dirt that has accumulated in sheltered positions.

 

High level masonry in the south transept

Where the surface of the stone has been weathered away, the pale grey/green body of the stone is quite clearly visible and, moving around to the south transept, this pattern is also evident in the higher level masonry.

 

Details of the Bath Stone at the west end

 

Continuing round to the west end, further examples of Bath Stone with a honey coloured patina can be seen on the sheltered areas of door surrounds, but the limestone used for the buttresses has been weathered to reveal cross-bedding, shelly beds and calcite veins.

 

Quatrefoil windows in the porch

Moving round to the north elevation, there is a fine set of windows in the west side of the porch, with three joined quatrefoils being carved in Bath Stone, which again has developed a honey coloured patina and contrasts with the presumed Kentish Rag surrounding it.

 

The entrance to the porch

Looking at the various photographs I took, the walling stone seems to have a much greater proportion of orange/brown blocks than I previously remember seeing in Kentish Rag, but having never visited any quarries/mines or undertaken detailed surveys of historic buildings that are built from this - or Reigate Stone – I couldn’t even guess its provenance.

 

A headstop on the porch

At the end of a very busy weekend, I came back from London with a much better knowledge of its building stones but, the next time I visit, I will closely examine them with my hand lens, test them with hydrochloric acid and apply a scratch test with my steel knife.

 

A general view of the north elevation