This history is taken from the booklet compiled by Sheila O’Connor

In the Beginning . . .

In 1837, when Queen Victoria ascended the throne of England, Cinderhill was a sparsely populated village with very few houses apart from the Hall which stood in Basford Park. The narrow turnpike road from Nottingham to Alfreton passed through the village and an expensive toll bar did much to limit the traffic between the town of Nottingham and outlying country districts.

The name Cinder Hill was in use long before there were any coal tips. A bleacher and spinner by the name of Robert Hall lived at Basford Hall at the end of the 18 th century. Mr Hall developed a new method of using chlorine to speed up the bleaching process and it was his lime kilns which gave Cinderhill its name [and much employment].

Mr. Thomas North, a Nottingham Town Councillor, lived at Basford Hall at this time, and was about to embark on a project of much importance which was to affect the future of the village. This was the development of a coalfield of 10,000 acres, and by 1842, he had sunk his first coal mine in the district on the very outskirts of the village close by the main road. This was the Cinder Hill Pit, and the miners travelled in, usually on foot, to work at the new colliery.

When further mines were sunk in the neighbourhood, and more miners walked the long distances to work it became obvious to Mr. North that if he were to keep his men he must house them nearer to their work.

He had built, therefore, in the village as quickly as possible a number of cottages for the miners and their families. They were constructed in the form of three large squares with the backs of the houses facing the interior of the square. The square was to act as one huge back yard, while the fronts naturally faced outwards and had long stretches of garden which, where cultivated, made the whole a pleasant sight. Two of these squares were not demolished until the 1960’s when road widening saw many changes in the area.

The sinking of the pits and the building of the cottages had taken about ten years.

The Rev. H.R. Pitman, Vicar of Basford and Mr. North who was his Churchwarden now became concerned for the spiritual welfare of the new population at Cinder Hill. The nearest Churches were in Basford and Bulwell, and Cinder Hill was part of the large parish of Basford. Plans were set in motion for the building of a new church.

In the meantime the Vicar of Basford led the worship in a temporarily dedicated room adjacent to the old Red Lion Inn.

A site for a Church was found nearby, right at the very heart of the village at the angle of the main road, and opposite to the finely wooded grounds of Basford Hall, the residence of Mr. North. The Duke of Newcastle, the largest landowner in the area, then the War Minister and just back from a visit to the Crimea, laid the foundation stone in 1855.

Unfortunately this stone is now flaking and unreadable.

The Building of the Church

The Vicar of Basford approached the Duke of Newcastle, the largest landlord in the area, who promptly gave enough land for a Church, and £200 in addition. Further subscriptions of £100 each were given by Mr. Holden, Mr. Edge, Rev. Padley and Mr. North. Gradually during the next three or four years the sum of £2000 was raised.

It is interesting to note that the citizens of Nottingham were ready to help towards raising the money to build the Church. Mrs Pitman, the Vicar’s wife, and her family went out daily collecting in Nottingham, from house to house, warehouses and factories, returning each day with varying sums of money collected in pennies and sixpences. Once they came home with £10 and their total collection was £110.

The Church about to be built was to be a Chapel at Ease of the Parish Church of St. Leodegarius. Rev. Pitman and Mr. North, with the sympathy and support of many others found everything required to begin the building of the Church, and in 1855 , His Grace the Duke of Newcastle laid the Foundation Stone.

Within twelve months the whole building “fitly framed together stood as a finished monument of Christian liberality towards a new population under circumstances of spiritual destitution.”

The Church was designed in the ‘Decorated Gothic’ Style by the eminent architect Thomas C. Hine. The builder and general contractor was Mr. John Fisher of Rutland Street, Nottingham. Between them they produced a gem of a small church, which consisted of a nave, a north aisle, a chancel and porch and a turret at the southwest corner of the nave, the whole structure surrounded by trees.

The outside was decorated with corbels depicting the heads of kings and queens. The turret deserves a special mention. Originally designed for one bell only, it is thought to be the smallest tower containing a peal of 3 bells in the country, possibly anywhere, as the interior is only four feet wide.

The Consecration

In 1856 Nottingham was part of the Diocese of Lincoln, and Thursday, 19th June was the day chosen by the Bishop for the consecration of this lovely Church. A triple triumphal arch of flowers and evergreens, surmounted by a cross and the inscription ‘Peace on Earth Good Will towards Men’ welcomed the guests on the churchyard path.

Mr. North met the Duke of Newcastle at the boundary of the Basford Estate and conveyed him in his carriage to the Church, the entourage being escorted by a mounted body of the Duke’s tenants from the surrounding area. Some 400 to 600 miners from the Cinder Hill and Babbington Collieries walked in procession to the Church and some of them were able to attend the service, seated at the back. A contemporary report says that “they were neat, clean and orderly and, as a group of miners, of interest to the distinguished noble and reverend visitors.”

Other important local visitors were Mr. Robert Holden of Nuthall Temple, Mr. and Mrs. Edge of Strelley, Mr. and Mrs. Wright of Bramcote, Mr. Rawson of Bestwood Park and the Mayor of Nottingham , Mr. Richard Birkin and his family. Within the altar rails were seated the Bishop, his Chaplain and the Ven. Archdeacon Wilkins of St. Mary’s, Nottingham. Clergy from some twenty different parishes attended.

The Bishop and his Chaplain were met at the Church door by Rev. Pitman and his Churchwardens, Mr. North and Mr. Danks. They processed to the altar where the Bishop was presented with a petition signed by Rev. Pitman, his Churchwardens and many other leading citizens, all pleading that the Bishop would be pleased to consecrate the new Chapel at Ease and dedicate it to the service of Almighty God and the celebration of Divine Worship according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England and to be known by the name “Christ Church”. This petition was read out, the Bishop said, ‘I accede to the prayer of this Petition’. He then processed, led by the Churchwardens, while reading Psalm 24, to the west end of the Church and back again to the east end. The legalities then ended with the presentation to the Bishop of the Deed of Conveyance and Morning Prayer began.

The Bishop gave an address, taking his text from 2 Corinthians, chapter 6 v 16.

‘For ye are the temple of the living God.’ He said that complaints had been made about the irreligion of the working classes, but church accommodation had not increased in proportion to the increase of the population. He did not believe that the workers were more irreligious than the middle and upper classes except so far as neglect had made them so. It was very pleasant to see the raising of a church which tended to encourage reverence towards Him whose house it was, to enable all to take part in the means of grace without distinction of rank in one common brotherhood before God.

This ‘lack of distinction of rank’ had always been the intention at Cinder Hill. Indeed The Incorporated Society for Building Churches had granted £165 towards the building of the church on condition that all the seats were reserved for the use of the poorer inhabitants of the parish.

It is reported that many ‘stayed behind’ to receive the Sacrament.
The Collection raised the large sum of £117 17s 5d.
The music was led by the choirs of Basford and Bulwell Parish Churches.

............and at the end of the Service the scene moved over the road to Basford Hall, home of Mr. North, and its grounds for

..................... The Luncheon

In the large dining room of the Hall tables were laid with splendour for 150 of the most important guests. The centrepiece was the magnificent Presentation Plate which had been presented to Mr. North at the end of his term as Mayor eleven years earlier. The hall and other rooms were laid out with food for relays of less important guests. The miners with their wives and sweethearts were also amply fed and had the use of the lawn and grounds, being granted the rest of the day as a holiday.

After their meal and toasts the Duke of Newcastle and the Lord Bishop of Lincoln came outside onto the lawn and addressed the miners and other guests, the speeches ‘being received with hearty cheers.’

Basford Hall

The Basford Hall whose occupants played such a large part in the founding and development of Christ Church stands near the site of a Saxon Manor House. After the Normans captured Nottingham the manor was given to a Norman officer, Safrid. Safrid’s grandson was to be the founder of St Leodegarius not many years later.

The Hall had been built by the Edge family of Strelley, also made prosperous by coal, and completed in 1740. It was eventually leased to the Babbington Coal Company for 99 years. The occupant before Mr North had been the Robert Hall who had given Cinder Hill its name.

George Fowler

Mr Fowler was born in Uttoxeter in 1840 and became a prominent mining and civil engineer with interests in collieries and other interests in Warwickshire. Mr Charles Seely [later Sir Charles] had acquired the pits which Mr North had established and under Mr Seely’s ownership and Mr Fowler’s direction the Babbington Collieries Company flourished and their association lasted for 49 years. During this time Mr Fowler lived at Basford Hall and was a generous supporter of Christ Church. He was a man of many parts, being fond of country pursuits, a yacht owner, interested in Egyptology and the owner of an extensive library. He was married with a son and two daughters who were married in Christ Church to two solicitor brothers.

Mr. [later Col. ] Fowler was Church Warden at Christ Church for 48 years from 1873 to his death in 1921. This service is marked by a simple brass plate on the south wall of the nave. His generosity was also financial.

At the end of the 19th century he replaced the original choir stalls with the present oak ones and gave a new reading desk and a litany desk. He also provided the lectern and the present tiled floor in the chancel to replace the original bricks.

In 1913, his 40th as Warden, Col. Fowler donated three stained glass windows to enhance the beauty of the church. These are the ‘ St Paul’ window in the nave and the ‘Mary’ and ’Judith’ and the ’Light of the World’ in the chancel.

In the second year of the first World War , tragedy was to strike the Fowler family. In October 1915 their only son, Lt. Col. G. H. Fowler led the men of the 8th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters in an attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt. This was an underground labyrinth of rooms and passages which the enemy had built opposite the British lines. The action was successful but at the cost of many lives; Lt. Col. Fowler was killed by a sniper while trying to save the life of his second-in-command.

Col. Fowler is remembered by a simple brass plate on the south wall of the nave.

Thomas Hancock

Mr Hancock was the third resident of Basford Hall to serve Christ Church.

He had been the Company Secretary of the Babbington Coal Company since 1894 and became Commercial Manager in 1923.

His wife was a daughter of the Hanson brewing family of Kimberley

He was Warden for 40 years and was long remembered for his generosity with produce from the Hall’s gardens at Harvest Festival time.

There is no memorial of Mr Hancock in the church. He retired from the Colliery and left the city in 1936.

The Hall and Grounds today

When Mr North invited the miners to refreshments on his lawn in 1856 no one could have foreseen that before 100 years had passed , his home was to be a real benefit to the 20th century workers in the Babbington Colliery.

When the lease ran out at the end of the 1930’s the Colliery Company bought the Hall and land from Mrs Edge with the condition that they were still to be used for the benefit of Cinderhill workers and their families. The Company had grandiose plans for a Miner’s Welfare which fell foul of the Second World War.

However from the early 1940’s it did provide a wide range of social and sports activities for its members. It had a large hall with concerts, dancing, discos, indoor sports, wedding parties and conferences; it also had extensive playing fields, a Boy’s Club and an excellent cricket team.

Inevitably its use by the miners declined and with the closing of the colliery came a fight between the Basford History Society and Graham Allen M.P. on one hand and the city planners on the other to prevent the demolition of the Hall.

Eventually it was saved and is now a thriving private members club.

Also on the site is now the Basford Hall College. This Further Education College has no formal links with Christ Church but many personal, informal ones.

The Gateway Hotel stands at the corner nearest the old toll bar with Fowler’s Pond still to be found in the grounds.

Much of the estate has been given over to housing.

The Babbington Colliery site is now the Phoenix Business Park with offices, showrooms, a T ravelodge, a call centre, a pub and 659 parking spaces for the Park and Ride service on the branch line of the new tram.

Clergy

For forty years , worship at this new church was in the hands of curates from the Parish Church of St. Leodegarius. Almost nothing is known of them individually but their names and dates of service are:-

Rev. George Maughan assisted at the Consecration of Christ Church.
Revs. John Pitman and Francis Pitman were the sons of Rev. Henry Rogers Pitman who was the Vicar of the large parish of St. Leodegarius, Basford from 1848 to 1902. In 1896 Cinder Hill became a little more administratively independent as a Chapelry and its Ministers were known as Chaplains.

1896-1906 The Rev. J.W.Farrell was the first Chaplain and the first to solemnise marriages though the first marriage ceremony was conducted by the first Bishop of Southwell; the bride was Miss Helen Fowler of Basford Hall.

Rev. Farrell left to become the first Vicar of Daybrook, built by Sir Charles Seely

1907-1910 The Rev.W.G.Cruft suffered ill health, made worse by the smoky atmosphere of this area, and eventually moved south on doctor’s orders.

1910-1920 The Rev. E.J.Powell spent over four years as an army Chaplain. He saw the dedication of the memorial window to Lt.-Col. Fowler and the Memorial Cross to the memory of the local men who had fallen in the Great War.

The Rev. Henry B. Lee was in charge during Rev. Powell’s absence.

1920-1928 The Rev.W.H.J.Toleman had been the senior Curate at St. Mary’s, Nottingham. His ministry saw the raising of the oak chancel screen. The cross surmounting the screen was the gift of Mrs Toleman.
Rev. Toleman was the last of the Chaplains.

1930-1932 The Rev C.H.V Brown did not have an easy time setting up the Parish.

The new parish was expected to pay its own way and some charitable donations ceased, for example, Sir Charles Seely had donated towards the chaplains stipend as well as giving coal for the boilers.
He introduced electric lighting and a new organ; he left early for health reason s

1932-1947 The Rev Francis Boykett was Vicar during some very dramatic and difficult times. The Parish suffered depression, the traumas and losses of war, post-war shortages and massive house building. The most dramatic event must have been the incendiary bomb which fell on the church roof on Good Friday 1941.
The most important event was surely the purchase of the Church Hall.

1947-1962 The Rev John M. Syson guided the Church through the post-war years.
He is especially to be remembered for steering through the building of the first Vicarage. Sadly Rev. Syson died very soon after leaving Christ Church.

1963-1968 The Rev. Cyril Miles was very popular with the non-churchgoing part of the community. He was tragically killed in a car accident while on holiday.

1968-1973 The Rev Grant Welch had been Curate of St. Mary’s, Nottingham and left us for Peterborough Diocese.

1973 -1981 The Rev Richard Hanmer came from Norwich and returned there after leaving Christ Church.

1982-1994 The Rev. Charles Knowles had been a Vicar Choral at Southwell Minster and left us for a church in Coventry.

1994-1997 The Rev. Mary Joy O’Connell began 1994 as a Deacon at Christ Church; was ordained Priest and became the Curate and finally was appointed Priest-in-Charge and Christ Church’s first woman Incumbent. She is now in Lincoln Diocese.

1999-2005 The Rev. Kath Batte had been Curate at Wilford Hill and left to become the Bishops Advisor for Self Supporting Ministers.

2006 The Rev. Joan Whysall was Inducted by the Bishop of Sherwood on May 10th.
She had previously been Curate of Trowell, Awsworth and Cossall.

In the late 1940’s the Diocesan Board of Finance agreed to fund a mortgage and the search was on for a suitable site. There was an empty area north of the church, a search of the records showed that it was not consecrated ground and the building was completed by 1952. Because no land purchase was necessary the costs were kept down and the mortgage was redeemed in 1977.

The Vicarage is a detached house with five bedrooms, three reception rooms and a detached garage.

The Vicarage is now the responsibility of the Parsonages Board and, as is now the custom, was let on the open market during the last Interregnum.

The original pulpit was of Ancaster stone and much admired. It was designed and carved by a local man, Thomas Earp, working in London at the time.

On the side facing the chancel, the carvings were of a dove and star;

The pulpit front was carved with the religious anagram of the Agnus Dei with clusters of maple leaves.

On the corners of this, the most important face, were the symbols of the four Evangelists; St. Matthew (the man), St Mark (the winged lion), St Luke (the eagle) and St. John (the winged bull).

This face was completed by an angel with outstretched wings holding a scroll with the words ‘Preach the Word’ which was just below the desk or slab of the pulpit.

The side nearest the wall bore the sacred monograph IHC surrounded by lavish foliage of maple and vine leaves.

The base and angles were also richly carved.

Unfortunately over the next hundred years the stone eroded badly and at the time of the 100th anniversary another pulpit was in use.

This was placed on the same side as the lectern until in 1957 it was moved to the traditional position.

The new pulpit is five sided, elegant and simply panelled, made of oak.

On the inside is a small brass plaque with the inscription:

“Given in Loving Memory of George Vickers, Churchwarden, Verger and Secretary of the P.C.C., died November 17th 1956”.

Under the rim of the panel are the Greek words for Repentance which was the call of John the Baptist. Faith because St. Thomas found faith by seeing the wounds of Jesus. Salvation which is what Noah and his family found in the Ark . Prayer because Mr Woodhouse offered his gift with prayer. Self Denial because Jesus’ crucifixion was the supreme act of self denial. Almsdeeds because our gifts to God are a response to His mercy.

Below the window is the brass plate commemorating the action

The other stained glass windows on the south side of the church were given by Col. Fowler in 1913 to celebrate his fortieth year as Church Warden.

The first of these is a window with two scenes of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. On the left St Paul has just landed in Malta and been attacked by a deadly viper; the fact that he did not die immediately was seen by the witnesses as a sign of the great power of the God he came to proclaim.

In the right hand window St. Paul is in Athens; he has seen a man-made altar ‘ To an Unknown God’ and is proclaiming that God, who created all things in heaven and earth, does not live in a shrine created by human hands.

The window in the Chancel depicts two very contrasting women. The one on the left is one of the quiet heroines of the New testament, Mary, the sister who sat at the feet of Christ while Martha did all the work. The other is Judith, the heroine of the book in the Apocrypha who played a very active role in saving herself and her people by cutting off the head of the Assyrian general, Holofernes, while he slept.

The small window to the right of the altar is a copy of Holman Hunt’s “The Light of the World”, illustrating that Jesus can only knock; it is up to the individual soul to respond.

• By the door to the choir vestry is this memorial: “The bells were retuned and rehung in memory of Elizabeth E Smith by her family. They were re-dedicated October 28 1945 by Rev. Boykett”.
• Mr George Pallant gave the Triptych on the west end wall in memory of his first wife Mabel Pallant in 1945 and 2 oak pedestals in memory of his second wife Jennie Pallant
• Just by the door to the tower is a small plate,
  “In loving memory of Thomas Moorcroft 1904-1981
  A faithful servant of this church”.

Many of the chairs which are now in use at the back of church were given by or in memory of a member of the congregation.

• In memory of Peter Shepherd 1932-2002.
• In loving memory of Frances Lilian Dexter 1910-1992.
• In loving memory of the families of Sylvia and David Brotherhood.
• In loving memory of Arthur and Michael Bromley.
• Anne and John Radford Ruby Wedding 7th October 2001
• Donald George Starr, Lay Reader, 1953-1994 born 31.5.27. died 1.12.01.
• In loving memory of Clarice Morrison (nee Poole) 1909-1993
• Donated by Mrs Veronica Belton one in 2002 and one in 2003

Many of the hymn books we use have been given in memory of a person or special occasion.
This is also true of many of the flowers which help to beautify God’s Church.

During the 150 years of worship many people have given without any written record to pass down.

We must not forget those who buy raffle tickets and come to Summer and Christmas Fairs and those who give regularly to keep the church ‘in business’.

Music and Organ

During the 1980’s it became apparent that that the organ was in a state beyond repair.
In 1988 a modern, computer designed, one was installed, just outside the chancel, and subsequently the old organ was removed, the wall blocked up and a kitchen created out of the old organ chamber.

The choir today is much smaller than it was 50 years ago and often the singing is accompanied by a Compact Disc or tape; though none the less enthusiastically.

Steps have been taken to improve the sound system.

A ‘loop’ system was installed in 2003.

Bells

The bells were supplied by Danks and Nixon of Nottingham and the largest one is inscribed H. R. Pitman, Vicar; Thomas Danks; Thomas North; Churchwardens 1856

They are described thus-

No.1 Diameter 20 inches; weight 2 cwt. 1qr.       (114kg)  Note C
No.2 Diameter 22 inches; weight 2 cwt. 3qrs.      (140kg)  Note B flat
No.3 Diameter 24 inches; weight 3 cwt. 3qrs 7lb (194kg)  Note A

The bells were re hung by Taylors of Loughborough in 1945.

They were examined by Pembertons Bellhangers in 1998 when the bells were considered satisfactory but the fittings and bell chamber required attention.

That is the current position and the amount of money needed is the stumbling block to the bells ringing out their call to worship.

This building was originally a Lecture Hall and till the early 1930’s had been used by the Education Authority as a school.

With the fast growth of the Aspley Estate, a larger school was needed and the William Crane school was built. The Education Authority gave notice that the Hall was no longer needed; the rent it paid was the Hall’s only income. It was run by a caretaker who was the Steward of the Men’s Institute. It was discovered that the Hall had been built by public subscription and it seemed that no one actually owned it. It transpired that Mr. Edge of Strelley Hall owned the land on which no ground rent had ever been paid and was willing to sell the land and the building to Christ Church for £500.

Rev Boykett was the Vicar at the time and in the days before the Vicarage was built was renting a house from Mr Bramley of Broxtowe Hall; Mr Bramley came to the rescue by offering to lend the money to the Parochial Church Council.

At this time Christ Church was a newly-formed parish and the P. C. C. were concerned about the financial implications of the big step they had just taken. A servant of Christ Church for many years was a Mr George Pallant, a member of the council who was also rapidly rising through the ranks of the flourishing Cinderhill Co-operative Society.

Mr Pallant suggested to his manager that the Co-operative Society could meet its expansion needs by purchasing part of the Hall to use as warehouse space. This resulted in the happy solution of the church selling part of the hall for £750! This was spent on making the part retained by the church suitable for the purpose.

Eventually the whole of the Hall belonged to the church. The small hall at the back was rented out to various one man businesses; for example in the early days by a business making kneeling pads for the miners and lastly by a manufacturer of leather clothing.

For many years the Hall was home to organisations affiliated to the church - Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Guides, a Ladies Group, Mums and Toddlers, the Christ Church Drama Group, now ‘People In Plays’ and in its 42nd year. The Sunday School met there on Sunday mornings and members of the congregation walked from the church for their tea and coffee. There were parties and social events for the church; the hall had a caretaker which meant that it could be let for outside functions, dancing classes and care groups. The Day Centre is in its 28th year.

The hall was rarely able to support the church financially but it was an invaluable asset to the church and the community, giving pleasure to many. However, it is an old building needing constant and expensive maintenance and struggling to pay its way. The facilities for the disabled, except for the outside ramp, are virtually non existent. A constant complaint is that it is cold; it probably always has been but expectations are higher these days. In spite of all this it does still have its days. The Christmas Fair always sees it bustling as does the Summer Fair on rainy days. In 2005 the Summer Fair with its theme of celebrating 50 years of peace saw a good turn out - not to mention photographs in the Nottingham Evening Post and the Diocesan Magazine ‘C’.
The Hall has its regular users and the Church appreciates their support. The latest church initiative is the ‘Happy Tots’ group on Tuesday mornings.

IN MEMORIAM 1939-1945

The Memorial to those who fell in the Second World War takes the form of a new oak Altar Rail and the Book of Remembrance. A plaque to the left of the Sanctuary reads

“This Altar Rail was placed here in thankful remembrance of all who, from this Church and Parish, gave their lives for their country in the Second World War 1939-1945.

Their names are recorded with gratitude and love in the book of remembrance which lies within this sanctuary.”

 Dedicated by the Rt. Revd. Bishop J R.Weller MA on the 6th January in the year 1949.