Christ Church
A Grade II listed Church of England parish church, consecrated in 1839 and facing south rather than east.
Christ Church is the centre of Anglican worship in this part of Cambridge, a Grade II listed parish church in the central city. The building was consecrated on 27 June 1839 by Joseph Allen, Bishop of Ely, and cost £3,800 to build, including £200 from Charles Perry, who later became the first Archbishop of Melbourne.
The older Abbey Church
St Andrew the Less, known as the Abbey Church, was probably built in the early 13th century by the Augustinian canons of Barnwell Priory. After Christ Church went up, the Abbey Church closed for public worship and Christ Church served as the parish church instead. In January 1846 that arrangement was made formal. The interior runs to 58 by 87 feet with a height of 44 feet, and the church is oriented to the south, not the usual east. Stained glass was fitted in 1885, and the font cover was a gift from the Sunday school children. Renovations took place in 1973 and 2013.
Services and community
The congregation belongs to the conservative evangelical tradition within the Church of England, and in 2004 around a hundred adults and children joined Christ Church from St Andrew the Great as a "grafting" scheme. The church's own website lists Sunday gatherings at 9:30, 11:15 and 5:00, with a more traditional service at 3:00 on alternate weeks. It is also part of the Besom volunteer network and the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project. This is a working parish church, so visitors outside service times should check first.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
