614:
Fortuitously in 1824 the
Austrian government repaid a £2 million war loan that the British Treasury had written-off within the national accounts, creating an unexpected windfall that could be applied for the purpose. This led to the Church Building Act 1824 that provided the Second Parliamentary Grant of £500,000 (equivalent to £55,580,000 in 2023). This money was distributed much more widely and, on the whole the grants supported a smaller proportion of total building costs. The First Parliamentary Grant was shared between fewer than 100 churches; the Second Parliamentary Grant went to more than 500 churches. The highest grant in this second phase was of £10,686 to All Saints Church, Skinner Street in the City of London, but this was exceptional. Most second-phase grants were between £100 and £1,000; on some occasions the grant was a mere £5. The Church Building Commission continued to function until 1 January 1857, when it was absorbed into the
246:
471:, was a prominent member of the High Church group; he has been described as "the greatest lay churchman of his day" and was to become "the cornerstone of the Commission", on which he served for 33 years. Because of the legal structure of the Church of England, it was "almost indispensable to obtain an Act of Parliament before a church was rebuilt, or a new one built " and "to divide a parish an Act was essential". There was growing pressure for Parliament to meet the problems. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 there was also a movement to build churches "as a "national thank-offering". In December 1815 Joshua Watson and the
528:. Applicants for grants had to abide by rules drawn up by the Commission. The designs for the churches were to be decided by competition, but the churches had to be soundly built. In some cases the Commission provided the whole cost of the building. On occasions this exceeded the cost of the building and also included the cost of the site and legal charges. Often the grant was less than the cost of the building, the difference being met by private donations and public subscription. In no case was the recommended ceiling of £20,000 exceeded. The highest grant was of £19,948 for St Martin's Church in
201:
130:
59:
269:
228:
370:, the population of Britain had grown, and it had redistributed, tending to concentrate in urban centres: some older and expanded, others newly created. Meanwhile, the organisation of the Church of England had not been modified to reflect this change, leading to a mismatch between the population and the pastoral services provided by the church. For example,
601:
but the
Commission insisted that a substantial proportion of seating, in the galleries and on benches in the aisles, should be free. Nevertheless within two decades, these design principles had been overtaken by the widespread adoption of 'ecclesiological' ideals in church design, as promoted by the
592:
and parson's reading desk were normally to be set at the east end of the church, on either side of the sanctuary. The
Commission would not approve plans where services were to be led by parson and parish clerk from a centrally located triple-decker pulpit, although a number of incumbents subsequently
349:
in 1815; hence the suggestion of the word "Waterloo" in the title. But even if this were a factor in founding the
Commission, again it could only apply to the earlier phases of building. The term "Commissioners' church" covers the whole of the work of the Church Building Commission and it is the term
519:
The
Commission appointed George Jenner as its secretary, and then had to decide how to apportion its funds. It set its maximum sum for a grant at £20,000 (equivalent to £1,840,000 in 2023) each, but this would have built only 50 churches. A degree of economy was necessary, but it was considered
613:
By
February 1821, 85 churches had been provided with seating for 144,190. But only £88,000 (equivalent to £9,480,000 in 2023) of the original £1 million remained. Applications for 25 more churches had to be postponed and it was clear that more money would be needed from Parliament.
583:
should be set apart in a shallow eastern apse or sanctuary behind a communion rail; and raised on three steps so as to be visible from all seats in the church. Larger churches should have galleries along the sides and west end, to provide the required seating capacity; the largest
Commissioners
539:
style, with little concern for accurate reproduction of medieval Gothic features. It was common for architects to re-use designs on a number of sites; perhaps varying the window tracery to conform with one or another different period of
English Gothic architecture. A few architects - notably
390:
of 1789–99, there might be a similar uprising in
Britain. It was considered that "the influence of the Church and its religious and moral teaching was a bulwark against revolution". Some argued that a major function of the church was to complement the work of the state; that "the church's main
506:
proposed a motion to form the Church
Building Society, and this was accepted. This led to Parliament's agreement to provide the First Parliamentary Grant of £1 million for building new churches. The Church Building Act 1818 was debated in Parliament and passed later that year.
315:
of 1818 and 1824. The 1818 Act supplied a grant of money and established the Church Building Commission to direct its use, and in 1824 made a further grant of money. In addition to paying for the building of churches, the Commission had powers to divide and subdivide
341:. The Second Parliamentary Grant of 1824 amounted to an additional £500,000 (£55,580,000 in 2023), so the term "million" cannot apply to all the churches aided by the Commission. The Commission was founded on a wave of national triumph following the defeat of
439:
A major impediment to increasing the number of churches in the newly expanded towns was the difficulty in providing a regular income for an incumbent parson. Most parish livings in the Church of England were then primarily supported from agricultural
328:. In some cases the Commissioners provided the full cost of the new church; in other cases they provided a partial grant and the balance was raised locally. In total 612 new churches were provided, mainly in expanding industrial towns and cities.
403:
to run their parishes) and non-residence. There was a great disparity between the incomes of the parochial clergy. The educational level of the clergy and their training was often inadequate. Challenges to the church came from two main sources,
490:. In 1817 a committee was appointed to form a society for "promoting public worship by obtaining additional church-room for the middle and lower classes". This was successful and at a public meeting on 6 February 1818 in the
515:
The first Commission consisted of 34 members, both clergy and laity being represented. In addition to providing grants of money, the Commission had powers to divide and subdivide parishes and to provide endowments.
642:
336:
The First Parliamentary Grant for churches amounted to £1 million (equivalent to £92,230,000 in 2023), which is why the 1818 Act that provided for it is sometimes referred to in scholarly literature as the
606:; so that mid-Victorian High Churchmen routinely deprecated the original liturgical arrangements of Commissioners Churches, commonly seeking to rearrange their eastern bays with a ritual choir and
632:
1241:
647:
627:
147:
An act to amend and render more effectual an Act passed in the last Session of Parliament, for building and promoting the building of additional Churches in populous Parishes.
1246:
532:. Designs for churches funded in the first grant in London were mainly classical in style; but outside London most Commissioners' churches conformed to a characteristic
486:, arguing the case for more churches. There was initial reluctance from the politicians to agree to the proposal, partly because of the financial deficit following the
657:
245:
637:
391:
function was social control". On top of this, the Church of England had its own internal problems, some of them even amounting to abuses, such as pluralism (
1236:
652:
444:
collected from farms in the parish. In expanding towns and cities, new churches had tended to be provided in association with residential developments as
563:
church and chapel architecture. The Commission were determined the new churches should instead give appropriate architectural expression to the rites of
31:
272:
483:
503:
213:
152:
81:
1217:
1041:
949:
366:
Towards the end of the 18th century the Church of England was facing a number of problems and challenges. Due to factors including the
231:
1049:
981:
386:
district of London had only 8,700 places for 76,624 inhabitants. In addition, there was a concern in society that, following the
1199:
1061:
1033:
308:
205:
134:
63:
933:
1186:
Parsons, Gerald (1988), "Reform, Revival and Realignment: The Experience of Victoria Anglicanism", in Parsons, Gerald (ed.),
1001:
584:
Churches could seat a nominal congregation of 2,000. Except in the side galleries, all seats should face (ritual) east. The
436:. The rise of these movements was blamed partly on the lack of accommodation in the churches provided by the state church.
1053:
268:
455:
During the early 1810s groups were formed to address these problems by both active parties in the Church of England, the
615:
559:' principles of the day, representing a decisive moving away from the 'preaching box' principles that had governed much
421:
355:
325:
249:
1191:
1045:
545:
284:
280:
276:
261:
257:
491:
549:
239:
235:
452:. Neither method of finance had proved capable of funding the provision of clergy for poorer urban populations.
603:
499:
324:. The Commission continued to function as a separate body until the end of 1856, when it was absorbed into the
555:
Plans of churches to be funded had to be approved by the Commission; and their stipulations conformed to the '
1017:
997:
965:
593:
arranged for the pulpit to be moved into the central aisle, with or without the approval of the Commission.
520:
that the churches should be recognisable as those of the Church of England, with a tower and even a spire.
1021:
1009:
495:
383:
669:
533:
429:
367:
142:
71:
961:
1025:
985:
953:
321:
312:
1013:
937:
698:
525:
445:
346:
1213:
1195:
989:
977:
969:
387:
1057:
973:
945:
76:
An act for building and promoting the building of additional Churches in populous Parishes.
580:
487:
17:
1005:
957:
941:
709:
585:
564:
541:
536:
521:
479:
456:
413:
1230:
464:
253:
588:
should be at the west end of the church, accommodated within a christening pew. The
993:
560:
475:
170:
99:
704:
556:
472:
460:
417:
304:
705:"The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)"
412:. Dissenters were those Christians who did not ascribe to the practices of the
409:
379:
342:
227:
350:
normally used by architectural historians, including M. H. Port in
1029:
572:
529:
449:
433:
405:
375:
371:
157:
86:
425:
396:
218:
1037:
607:
568:
374:
with a population of nearly 34,000 had church seating for only 2,500,
589:
576:
400:
317:
643:
List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England
468:
441:
392:
267:
244:
226:
594:
598:
1210:
600 New Churches: the Church Building Commission 1818-1856
633:
List of Commissioners' churches in the English Midlands
597:
in the body of the nave were expected to be subject to
416:(the Church of England), and they included the older
307:
church in England or Wales built with money voted by
648:
List of Commissioners' churches in southwest England
579:preaching. Hence, the Commission insisted that the
448:, whose licensed ministers received an income from
212:
186:
169:
164:
151:
141:
115:
98:
93:
80:
70:
44:
932:The clergy included the Archbishop of Canterbury,
628:List of Commissioners' churches in eastern England
1242:Romanesque Revival church buildings in England
693:
691:
689:
8:
658:List of Commissioners' churches in Yorkshire
382:had 11,000 for nearly 80,000, and the
1247:Gothic Revival church buildings in England
1040:. The lay members included Joshua Watson,
183:
112:
41:
32:Commission for Building Fifty New Churches
1084:
1082:
701:inflation figures are based on data from
638:List of Commissioners' churches in London
653:List of Commissioners' churches in Wales
378:had 6,280 seats for 55,000 people,
273:Church of St George, Chester Road, Hulme
1190:, vol. I: Traditions, Manchester:
779:
730:
685:
575:should not be visually subordinated to
1212:(2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books,
524:was appointed to prepare plans in the
27:Type of C19 Anglican church in the UK
7:
1169:
1157:
1145:
1124:
1112:
1100:
1088:
1073:
948:and later Archbishop of Canterbury,
920:
899:
887:
875:
863:
851:
839:
827:
815:
803:
791:
767:
754:
742:
552:won a large number of commissions.
25:
399:), absenteeism (vicars employing
954:Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry
232:St George's Church, Brandon Hill
206:Parliament of the United Kingdom
199:
135:Parliament of the United Kingdom
128:
64:Parliament of the United Kingdom
57:
1237:Commissioners' church buildings
1004:, Francis John Hyde Wollaston,
610:on ecclesiological principles.
234:, a Commissioners' church in a
1002:St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
1:
1188:Religion in Victorian Britain
1054:Lord President of the Council
1064:(the last two were lawyers).
478:, wrote a "memorial" to the
432:, and the newer movement of
356:Pevsner Architectural Guides
1192:Manchester University Press
1046:Chancellor of the Exchequer
1263:
181:United Kingdom legislation
110:United Kingdom legislation
39:United Kingdom legislation
29:
616:Ecclesiastical Commission
354:, and the authors of the
326:Ecclesiastical Commission
250:All Saints' Church, Stand
198:
193:
127:
122:
56:
51:
794:, pp. 16–17, 22–23.
604:Cambridge Camden Society
500:Archbishop of Canterbury
492:Freemasons' Hall, London
188:Church Building Act 1822
117:Church Building Act 1819
46:Church Building Act 1818
30:Not to be confused with
18:Church Building Act 1818
1018:St Martin-in-the-Fields
966:George Pretyman Tomline
703:Clark, Gregory (2017).
1034:Christopher Wordsworth
1022:Thomas Dunham Whitaker
934:Edward Venables Vernon
923:, pp. 37–43, 363.
504:Duke of Northumberland
496:Charles Manners-Sutton
288:
265:
242:
806:, pp. 17–18, 24.
670:Victorian restoration
395:owning more than one
368:Industrial Revolution
352:600 New Churches
293:Commissioners' church
271:
248:
230:
1208:Port, M. H. (2006),
962:Bishop of Winchester
418:independent churches
313:Church Building Acts
1172:, pp. 331–347.
1160:, pp. 326–329.
1148:, pp. 227–229.
1115:, pp. 325–329.
1042:Nicholas Vansittart
1010:St Paul's Cathedral
766:Best, W. quoted in
446:proprietary chapels
311:as a result of the
1014:Joseph Holden Pott
938:Archbishop of York
699:Retail Price Index
526:diocese of Chester
430:Congregationalists
414:established church
384:St Marylebone
347:Battle of Waterloo
301:Million Act church
295:, also known as a
289:
266:
243:
1219:978-1-904965-08-4
1136:Act 5 Geo.4 c.103
1103:, pp. 45–51.
1076:, pp. 30–35.
978:Bishop of Chester
970:Bishop of Lincoln
911:Act 58 Geo.3 c.45
854:, pp. 24–25.
818:, pp. 18–19.
782:, pp. 18–19.
571:; and that these
388:French Revolution
339:Million Pound Act
320:, and to provide
225:
224:
194:Act of Parliament
179:
178:
123:Act of Parliament
108:
107:
52:Act of Parliament
16:(Redirected from
1254:
1222:
1204:
1173:
1167:
1161:
1155:
1149:
1143:
1137:
1134:
1128:
1122:
1116:
1110:
1104:
1098:
1092:
1086:
1077:
1071:
1065:
1058:Sir John Nicholl
974:George Henry Law
950:James Cornwallis
946:Bishop of London
930:
924:
918:
912:
909:
903:
897:
891:
885:
879:
873:
867:
861:
855:
849:
843:
837:
831:
825:
819:
813:
807:
801:
795:
789:
783:
777:
771:
764:
758:
752:
746:
740:
734:
728:
722:
721:
719:
717:
695:
622:List of churches
203:
202:
189:
184:
132:
131:
118:
113:
61:
60:
47:
42:
21:
1262:
1261:
1257:
1256:
1255:
1253:
1252:
1251:
1227:
1226:
1225:
1220:
1207:
1202:
1185:
1176:
1168:
1164:
1156:
1152:
1144:
1140:
1135:
1131:
1123:
1119:
1111:
1107:
1099:
1095:
1087:
1080:
1072:
1068:
931:
927:
919:
915:
910:
906:
898:
894:
886:
882:
874:
870:
862:
858:
850:
846:
838:
834:
826:
822:
814:
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802:
798:
790:
786:
778:
774:
765:
761:
753:
749:
741:
737:
729:
725:
715:
713:
702:
696:
687:
678:
666:
624:
581:communion table
546:Frances Goodwin
513:
488:Napoleonic Wars
364:
334:
297:Waterloo church
277:Francis Goodwin
208:
200:
187:
182:
137:
129:
116:
111:
66:
58:
45:
40:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1260:
1258:
1250:
1249:
1244:
1239:
1229:
1228:
1224:
1223:
1218:
1205:
1200:
1182:
1175:
1174:
1162:
1150:
1138:
1129:
1117:
1105:
1093:
1078:
1066:
958:Brownlow North
942:William Howley
925:
913:
904:
892:
880:
868:
856:
844:
832:
820:
808:
796:
784:
772:
759:
747:
735:
723:
710:MeasuringWorth
684:
677:
674:
673:
672:
665:
662:
661:
660:
655:
650:
645:
640:
635:
630:
623:
620:
586:baptismal font
565:Holy Communion
542:Thomas Rickman
537:Gothic revival
522:Thomas Rickman
512:
511:The Commission
509:
484:Lord Liverpool
480:prime minister
461:High Churchmen
363:
360:
333:
330:
281:Gothic Revival
258:Gothic Revival
223:
222:
216:
210:
209:
204:
196:
195:
191:
190:
180:
177:
176:
173:
167:
166:
162:
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155:
149:
148:
145:
139:
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133:
125:
124:
120:
119:
109:
106:
105:
102:
96:
95:
91:
90:
84:
78:
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74:
68:
67:
62:
54:
53:
49:
48:
38:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1259:
1248:
1245:
1243:
1240:
1238:
1235:
1234:
1232:
1221:
1215:
1211:
1206:
1203:
1201:0-7190-2511-7
1197:
1193:
1189:
1184:
1183:
1181:
1180:
1171:
1166:
1163:
1159:
1154:
1151:
1147:
1142:
1139:
1133:
1130:
1127:, p. 54.
1126:
1121:
1118:
1114:
1109:
1106:
1102:
1097:
1094:
1091:, p. 12.
1090:
1085:
1083:
1079:
1075:
1070:
1067:
1063:
1062:William Scott
1059:
1055:
1051:
1050:Lord Harrowby
1047:
1043:
1039:
1035:
1031:
1027:
1023:
1019:
1015:
1011:
1007:
1003:
999:
995:
991:
987:
983:
979:
975:
971:
967:
963:
959:
955:
951:
947:
943:
939:
935:
929:
926:
922:
917:
914:
908:
905:
902:, p. 29.
901:
896:
893:
890:, p. 28.
889:
884:
881:
878:, p. 27.
877:
872:
869:
866:, p. 25.
865:
860:
857:
853:
848:
845:
842:, p. 23.
841:
836:
833:
830:, p. 19.
829:
824:
821:
817:
812:
809:
805:
800:
797:
793:
788:
785:
781:
776:
773:
770:, p. 16.
769:
763:
760:
757:, p. 15.
756:
751:
748:
745:, p. 22.
744:
739:
736:
733:, p. 18.
732:
727:
724:
712:
711:
706:
700:
694:
692:
690:
686:
683:
682:
675:
671:
668:
667:
663:
659:
656:
654:
651:
649:
646:
644:
641:
639:
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634:
631:
629:
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621:
619:
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611:
609:
605:
600:
596:
591:
587:
582:
578:
574:
570:
566:
562:
558:
553:
551:
550:Robert Smirke
547:
543:
538:
535:
534:late Georgian
531:
527:
523:
517:
510:
508:
505:
501:
497:
494:, chaired by
493:
489:
485:
481:
477:
474:
470:
466:
465:Joshua Watson
462:
458:
453:
451:
447:
443:
437:
435:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
411:
407:
402:
398:
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385:
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344:
340:
331:
329:
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319:
314:
310:
306:
302:
298:
294:
286:
285:Perpendicular
282:
278:
274:
270:
263:
262:Early English
259:
255:
254:Charles Barry
251:
247:
241:
240:Robert Smirke
237:
233:
229:
220:
217:
215:
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185:
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88:
85:
83:
79:
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69:
65:
55:
50:
43:
37:
33:
19:
1209:
1187:
1179:Bibliography
1178:
1177:
1165:
1153:
1141:
1132:
1120:
1108:
1096:
1069:
1036:, rector of
1016:, rector of
994:Richard Mant
982:John Ireland
928:
916:
907:
895:
883:
871:
859:
847:
835:
823:
811:
799:
787:
780:Parsons 1988
775:
762:
750:
738:
731:Parsons 1988
726:
714:. Retrieved
708:
680:
679:
612:
554:
518:
514:
476:John Bowdler
457:Evangelicals
454:
438:
420:such as the
365:
351:
338:
335:
300:
296:
292:
290:
236:Neoclassical
175:13 July 1819
171:Royal assent
100:Royal assent
36:
1024:, Vicar of
990:Westminster
557:High Church
473:pamphleteer
283:style with
260:style with
104:30 May 1818
1231:Categories
676:References
573:sacraments
410:secularism
380:Manchester
362:Background
322:endowments
309:Parliament
143:Long title
72:Long title
1170:Port 2006
1158:Port 2006
1146:Port 2006
1125:Port 2006
1113:Port 2006
1101:Port 2006
1089:Port 2006
1074:Port 2006
1030:Blackburn
921:Port 2006
900:Port 2006
888:Port 2006
876:Port 2006
864:Port 2006
852:Port 2006
840:Port 2006
828:Port 2006
816:Port 2006
804:Port 2006
792:Port 2006
768:Port 2006
755:Port 2006
743:Port 2006
599:pew rents
530:Liverpool
450:pew rents
434:Methodism
376:Sheffield
372:Stockport
238:style by
158:59 Geo. 3
87:58 Geo. 3
664:See also
561:Georgian
459:and the
426:Baptists
397:benefice
343:Napoleon
318:parishes
305:Anglican
303:, is an
287:elements
264:elements
219:3 Geo. 4
214:Citation
160:. c. 134
153:Citation
82:Citation
1038:Lambeth
1026:Whalley
944:, then
608:chancel
569:Baptism
422:Quakers
406:dissent
401:curates
345:at the
221:. c. 72
89:. c. 45
1216:
1198:
1060:, and
1032:, and
998:rector
590:pulpit
577:pulpit
502:, the
498:, the
469:layman
442:tithes
393:vicars
1006:Canon
716:7 May
681:Notes
332:Title
279:in a
275:, by
256:in a
252:, by
165:Dates
94:Dates
1214:ISBN
1196:ISBN
1028:and
986:Dean
718:2024
595:Pews
567:and
548:and
467:, a
428:and
408:and
299:and
1008:of
1000:of
988:of
697:UK
1233::
1194:,
1081:^
1056:,
1052:,
1048:,
1044:,
1020:,
1012:,
996:,
992:,
984:,
980:,
976:,
972:,
968:,
964:,
960:,
956:,
952:,
940:,
936:,
707:.
688:^
618:.
544:,
482:,
463:.
424:,
358:.
291:A
720:.
34:.
20:)
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