Church Heritage Record 627483

In the 1860s the population of Crowthorne grew substantially. With more and more people moving into the area it soon became clear that the Parish Church of St Michael at Sandhurst was no longer adequate to accommodate the growing number of worshippers.

A temporary church was constructed and a new Ecclesiastical District was created. A committee was formed to raise funds for a permanent structure. The driving force behind this appeal was from Sandhurst Parish, the Head Master of Wellington and the Governor of Broadmoor .

Land was procured with a generous donation from a member of the local gentry, a Mrs Gibson of Sandhurst Lodge. Additional funds for the construction of the church were secured.

 It is not recorded how the architect was selected but Rev. Henry S.N. Lenny, curate of Sandhurst, who would become the first Vicar of Crowthorne, wrote to Arthur Blomfield requesting a design and costings for the nave of the church and space enough for a Chancel when it may be built. The church would seat 300. The design was accepted and Arthur William Blomfield (1828-1899) one of the most active and successful church architects of the Gothic  revival accepted the commission.

The church building is composed of principally of red brick, with Bath stone dressings.

The Church hall (completed in 1968) comprises of a porch and hall through which access is gained to the Church at the west wall.

The Chancel was added in 1889, the design providing half as much again as the existing area of the church including on the southern side an aisle that would become the Lady Chapel and on the northern side an Organ Chamber and Vestry.

The organ, which was moved to its present position during this work, was made by Henry Speechly & Sons and was built in 1882.

The East Window was installed in 1894. The stained glass is by Charles Eamer Kempe (1837-1907) from his workshop in Nottingham Place London. 

Set before the window are seven Sanctuary Lamps installed in 1923 .The centre lamp bears the inscription “A.M. D.G. In Memoriam” which is assumed to stand for “Ad Majorem Die Gloriam” rather than for the name of any particular donor.

In 1980 the church was reordered, the High Altar was brought forward from the east wall so that communion can be celebrated with the priest facing the congregation. The choir stalls were repositioned under the east window so that the choir might face into the body of the church. The Altar rails were repositioned to the front and side of the altar. The design is attributed to the architect a Mr Leslie Moore.

Lady Chapel : The single light stained glass east window is of the Madonna and Child, with the motto above “St Marie Mater Amabilis” with lilies in the lower tier. The window is in memory of a Mary Thomson. It is unattributed, and was installed circa 1886.  

In 1958 the reredos that had been on the east wall of the Sanctuary was sited behind the altar in the Lady Chapel. The original design by Blomfield was then embellished.

The three figures are a Crucifix of Jesus’ Triumph, the Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist. They were designed by Colin Shewing F.R.I.B.A. 

Baptistery: In the same year, to give better access to the church, the font was moved to its present position.

Soon afterwards, stained glass was set into the three light window in the south wall. The centre light depicts Jesus the Lamb of God holding the lamb. The lamb has a Jesus’ Cruciform halo and is bearing the flag of victory.

The east side light is the figure of Jesus with a child in his arms and a child at his feet. The West side light illustrates Jesus’ presentation to Simeon in the Temple. 

The font is carved Bath stone in the style and design that can be found on the pulpit and organ screen.

Nave: The view from the entrance of the church looking east taking in the centre aisle flanked by the six solid pillars and arches takes the eye down to the Chancel steps and into the Sanctuary, to the High Altar, Sanctuary lamps and Cross framed by the east window.

The pews designed by Blomfield are carved to match the screens on the Lady Chapel and Organ chamber.

Pulpit: The Pulpit of carved oak was designed by Blomfield and was installed when the Chancel was completed. It was dedicated together with the Choir Stalls at Easter 1890.

Lectern: The provenance of this lectern in the form of a brass Eagle and cast iron base is not known. It is thought to have come from Wellington College but there is no record of the transaction.

North Aisle: On the west wall of the north aisle below the Royal British Legion Standards is a tablet. It was placed there in 1953 by the boys of St Paul’s School who worshipped in this church during World War II. It is a token of their thanks to the people of Crowthorne for the kindness shown to them. The tablet was designed by Thomas Arthur Darcy Braddell   A.R.I.B.A. 1884-1970, who was a former pupil.

Choir Vestry: In 1909 a plan to build a vestry adjacent to the existing one for the Choir to robe and practise was formulated. The new Vestry was dedicated on 18th December that year. It is not known if Blomfield prepared the design, however this late addition does follow the style of the original building.

In the Church Hall , the use of fold back glass doors enables the hall to become part of the Church and seat a further 145 people.