Christ Church
Croydon, Greater London
An urban church with a colourful blend of the old and the new.
St Matthew’s church moved from George Street and has celebrate 50 years of being in Park Hill. Designed by David Bush and built by Wates as part of a land swap in the late 1960s. David Bush put in many biblical references in his design and after being an architect he retrained and became a vicar.
St Matthew is a unique design with a large roof created of a plywood web design covering a worship space, foyer, a large hall, kitchen and toilet facilities. A significant part of the design is a set of windows designed by John Hayward and installed down one wall of the worship space. The windows depict stories from St Matthew gospel. Some of the glass used in these designs was recovered from the Victorian church in George Street. The altar frontal and stoles used in the church also echo the design of the windows. Also of significance is the organ which was built by Noel Mander in 1972. Plus there are several panels of medieval glass in a window in the church spire which came from original Croydon parish church which burnt down at the end of the 19th century.