Vision and Conflict 1855-92 Volume 1 of The Story of Christ Church, New Malden
Vision and Conflict 1855-92: Volume 1 of The Story of Christ Church, New Malden
In September 2021, Stephen wrote the first volume of a new illustrated history of Christ Church, New Malden. This begins in 1855 with the first moves towards establishing a church within the fledging village of New Malden. It then covers the establishment of the Temporary Church of St James in Poplar Walk in 1857, the original Christ Church from 1866, Christ Church School in 1867 and 1870, the extension of Christ Church in 1878 and the building of Christ Church Mission Room (later St John’s) on the Kingston Road in 1885. Dominating this period was the first Vicar of Christ Church, Charles Stirling (1865-92) with these years characterised by tremendous vision and energy but also damaging conflict. The latter included both local and national issues: Stirling’s concern about Christ Church School but also his fierce opposition towards Catholic emancipation and the advance of ritualism within the Church of England. Both the positive and negative aspects of the earliest years of Christ Church have much to teach us and copies of all the volumes can be obtained through our Contact Us page.
In November 2021, Stephen wrote the second volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This covers the period between 1893 and 1920 when Canon William Allen Challacombe was Vicar of the parish. As New Malden expanded, the church’s ministry continued to develop with the second extension of Christ Church in 1894, a second Christ Church School at Elm Road in 1896, the Parish Room in 1900 and the development and expansion of the Christ Church Mission Churches in 1898, 1903 and 1911 (later St James’ and St John’s). The public conflict of the earlier years of Christ Church was largely replaced during this period by an evangelical piety emphasising a personal devotion to God and his Word. This was exemplified by the Christian novels written by Jessie Challacombe. The approach to faith during this period included a greater openness to visual beauty within Christ Church, with seven of the church’s ten stained glass windows established during this time. Immense fruit came from this piety. Like evangelicalism overall within the Church of England, however, it also proved to have significant weaknesses in responding to the horrors of the First World War. 
In December 2021, Stephen wrote the third volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This was a time largely characterised by reaction to the First World War with the emergence of a greater sense of freedom at Christ Church built around the friendliness and approachability of its Vicar, Alvan Birkett. It was a period which also saw the establishment of the War Memorial in the High Street in 1924, the building of the Parish Halls in 1927 and the creation of a separate parish for St James’ Church from 1929. Just as important were the groups at Christ Church that formed during this era. Against a background of general evangelical decline within the Church of England, this period saw the formation of the hugely influential and long running King’s Own Bible Class and Young Peoples’ Church started by curates, Bryan Green and Benjie Bull in 1924 and 1931 respectively. Guides and Brownies also began at Christ Church in 1924 and 1928. In overall terms, it was a period when the spirit of friendliness at Christ Church did a great deal to communicate God’s love more widely than had previously been the case. 
In January 2022, Stephen wrote the fourth volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This is entitled ‘Godly Discipline’ because of the firm direction of the parish given by its fourth Vicar, Willoughby Habershon. After the more easy going approach of the previous era, this change in ethos required a significant adjustment from members of Christ Church. Habershon’s drive and conviction, however, were crucial in the establishment of the building of St John’s in 1939 and also in the leadership that he gave to the parish during the darkest days of the Second World War. This period included the death of the Curate-in-Charge of St John’s, the Reverend John Pendlebury, when a bomb hit his house on Malden Road in February 1941 and also the death of another keen member of the church, Flying Officer Cyril Barton, who was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. Willoughby Habershon’s leadership of the parish during this period challenges many of our assumptions about the value of ‘nice’ versions of Christianity compared a church built upon the more authentic virtues of kindness, compassion and truth. 
In February 2022, Stephen wrote the fifth volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This a time which when considerable reconstruction after the Second World War was required with the raising of significant sums of money at Christ Church to rebuild and restore other churches destroyed or damaged during the war. Partly for this reason, it is the only extended period during the history of the parish when no new buildings were added for its ministry and mission. It was, nonetheless, a time of tremendous growth at Christ Church and St John’s against the background of the wider evangelical revival that took place in Britain during the 1950s. Congregations were large and vast numbers of children and young people filled the Sunday Schools and King’s Own Bible Class. The longest running group in the history of Christ Church, Women’s Own, was also formed during this time by Mrs Bartle. Against the austere background of the post-war Britain, ‘Quiet Assurance’ not only characterised the ministry of its shy Vicar, Claude Bartle, but much of the activity at Christ Church and St John’s. 
In March 2022, Stephen wrote the sixth volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This was a period when the parish was led by the remarkable Llewellyn Roberts. ‘Uncle Llew’, as he was known, was 69 when he arrived in New Malden – older than any other Vicar of the parish has been when they departed. Together with his strictness and speech impediment, Mr Roberts might have made him seem an odd fit to lead the church during the ‘swinging sixties’. Christ Church nonetheless continued to thrive under his leadership alongside a number of able curates and lay leaders. Campaigners began and this was the era in which the Centenary of Christ Church was celebrated in 1966 and marked by the building of the Vestry Hall. The considerable strengths of the Christ Church at this time were nevertheless accompanied by a tendency to emphasis abstract biblical truths rather than attempting the difficult task of applying such truth to a swiftly changing world. 
In April 2022, Stephen wrote the seventh volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This covered the seven years in which Peter Coombs was Vicar of the parish from 1968-1975. Although the shortest of the parish’s ten incumbencies, this was an important time for the parish, chiefly through the significant modernisation that occurred. ‘Experimental’ services providing an alternative to the Book of Common Prayer, and using modern English, were used for the first time from the later 1960s producing a very different atmosphere. Another significant change from October 1973 was members of Christ Church being encouraged, for the first time, to use one another’s Christian names. The first steps were also taken to planning what later became the Christ Church Centre, although the diversity of viewpoints about this meant that this didn’t occur until later. Political and social events also received greater engagement at Christ Church than they had for some time. Behind all of this, the transparent and powerful goodness of Peter Coombs had a significant effect on the character of the parish and its ministry. 
In May 2022, Stephen wrote the eighth volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This covered the fourteen years in which John Short was Vicar of the parish from 1976-1990. This was a period of significant growth in the church with a strong emphasis upon proclamation of the gospel through detailed exposition of the Bible. In a time before the ordination of women as priests and its later contentiousness, this era saw a significant advance in women’s ministry at Christ Church through the work of a succession of deaconesses. It was also a period of growth in overseas mission with a number of members of Christ Church and St John’s serving abroad. The most enduring achievement of this time was the building of the Christ Church Centre in 1981 with its lounge, kitchen, orchard and holly rooms provided through extraordinary financial generosity from the church’s members. A difficult and worrying time was the serious illness which removed John Short from Christ Church for six months in 1987/88, and from which he nearly died. 
In June 2022, Stephen wrote the ninth volume of his illustrated history of Christ Church. This covered the fifteen years in which Stewart Downey was Vicar of the parish from 1991-2006. The decision of the Church of England to ordain women in 1992 immediately revealed major differences of perspective that had to be managed. Less obviously, it was also a time when significant differences were opening up about the most effective approaches to take to evangelism and mission. A major refurbishment of St John’s took place in 1994. Stewart Downey made an extraordinary impact through his pastoral care but also his passion for reaching ‘the unchurched’, frequently described with his Northern Irish accent and good humour as ‘pagans’. One outcome of this was ‘Oxygen’, a major youth project spearheaded by Christ Church and involving many other churches in the area. Another was the ‘New Start Service’. This began the new millennium in January 2000 with an ethos of removing as many as possible of the cultural barriers commonly stopping people coming to God.