The Sacrament Chapel
During the First World War of 1914–1918 the parish lost a great number of men on active service, and
in 1922 the Revd Henry von Essen Scott built the Chapel of Remembrance on the south side to commemorate them. It is distinguished
by a fine vaulted apse with windows depicting scenes from the life of Christ (see below), a beautiful screen and
superb stained glass windows depicting warrior saints: S Alban, S Martin (shown here) and S George (detail). The
window due to contain S Pancras has yet to be completed.
The Blessed Sacrament [the consecrated bread remaining after Mass] is reserved in the tabernacle
above the altar, translated from an aumbry near the High Altar in 1993. This chapel is a peaceful
place in which to pray to Our Lord present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.The sanctuary lamp visible in this photograph is white to denote the presence of the Sacrament. It was given by the congregation in memory of a much-loved parishioner.
The Parish of Christ Church included at that time the areas now served by the autonomous parishes of
S Andrew and S Philip, so there are effectively three parishes’ fallen soldiers listed on the walls of
the chapel. There are over 350 names carved into stone tablets visible in the photo
here on the right.
We’ve included a complete listing of all the names commemorated in the Chapel, together with other memorials in the church, here.
The Chapel screen is one of the finest works of sculpted art in the county. The wonderful statue of Christ giving his blessing was carved by C Godfrey Garrard, a local sculptor and artist. He was particularly noted for his cherubs, and there are weeping heads peeking out from the foliage of the carved pillar-capitals. The angels in the spandrels [the triangular regions above the main arch of the screen] hold carved scrolls bearing the words “Thy Kingdom come” “Thy Will be done”.
Text taken from A Short Guide to Christ Church, by F E Ford. Copyright © Christ Church PCC.
