Christ Church Spitalfields

Christ Church, Spitalfields is an Anglican church built between 1714 and 1729 to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor. It was one of the first (and arguably one of the finest) of the so-called "Commissioners' Churches" built for the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches, which had been established by an Act of Parliament in 1711.

Nicholas Hawksmoor was born at East Drayton, Nottinghamshire, probably in 1661 (or, according to some authorities, 1666). Little is known of his early life or education but at the age of eighteen he was employed as clerk to Christopher Wren, then Surveyor of the King's Works. During the 1680s and '90s Hawksmoor learned the various aspects of a surveyor's craft, and became responsible in his own right for some of the jobs within the Office of Works.

In 1957 Christ Church was nearly derelict and services were held elsewhere. Christ Church was saved from demolition by the Hawksmoor Committee which was formed to ward off the threat of demolition and raise awareness of the building. In 1966 the roof was rebuilt under the supervision of Cecil Brown FRIBA with some of the funds from the sale of St John’s Smith Square. In 1966 a rehabilitation centre for homeless alcoholic men was housed in part of the crypt.

Tours for groups and schools can be arranged on any day of the week subject to availability. For this and information about hiring Christ Church for private events contact Christ Church Spitalfields Venue at 020 7377 6793 or visit www.spitalfieldsvenue.org.

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Contact details for Christ Church Spitalfields tel: +44 (0)20 7859 3035, fax: +44 (0)20 7859 3037, email: [email protected]

Sunday services

8.30 am: first and third Sundays: Prayer Book Communion Service.

10.30 am: every Sunday, main service – a mixture of preaching based on the Bible applied to everyday life, sung worship and prayer.

Lunchtime Service - 1.10pm every Tuesday

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