Emmanuel Church Sidlow

The following is a brief history of the church. The original notice announcing the new church, . NEW CHURCH AT SIDLOW BRIDGE, IN THE PARISH OF HORLEY, SURREY. The adjacent parishes of Horley, Charlwood, Reigate, Buckland and Leigh, are so circumstanced that many of the inhabitants are at a distance of three miles and upwards from their respective Churches. Some of the Residents in the Neighbourhood propose to supply this deficiency by the erection of a Church at Sidlow Bridge, to which the Bishop of the Diocese has consented to attach the district indicated on the annexed map, containing about 500 inhabitants. A House and Garden for the Residence of a Clergyman, and also a suitable site for the Church, immediately adjacent and in the centre of the proposed district, have been given by Mr. Sherrard of Kinnersley Manor. It is estimated that the Church will cost Nineteen Hundred Pounds, and it is hoped an Endowment of One Hundred Pounds a year will ultimately be raised. Towards these objects the following sums have been promised, Mr. Henry Clutton having kindly offered his gratuitous services as Architect; Mr. Nicholson giving the windows. It is intended that at least one half of the sittings shall be free. EMMANUEL CHURCH Emmanuel Church was dedicated in 1862.Built on land provided by the owners of nearby Kinnersley and Hartswood Manors it provided a place of worship for the local community and in particular for the employees of local landowners especially those who lived and worked at Kinnersley and Hartwood Manors. The benefactors also provided a Rectory nearby which was sold when the parish became a plurality with St. Nicholas, Charlwood. The stained glass windows in the church are particularly fine and were designed by the eminent Victorian artist Henry Holiday. Like many other churches in the land, the church suffered bomb damage during the 1939-1945 war. One bomb that fell in the fields to the south of the church blew in the south window of the Chancel and cracked the large east window which had to be replaced. Due to the damage the Parishioners worshipped in the Rectory for a while. After the war restoration and improvements were made. In 1962 the organ was moved from the Chancel Vestry to the newly constructed gallery at the west end and this work was completed to mark the centenary of the church's dedication.The church roof was also re-tiled. In 1980, after the sale of the Rectory, further improvements were made to provide a Meeting Room with kitchen facilities, a Choir Vestry/Meeting Room and Toilets.The old boiler which had previously been converted from solid fuel to oil, was replaced by a gas fired unit which pumps hot air through the old pipe runs into the church. STAINED GLASS. Henry Holiday (1839-1927) the eminent Victorian artist was involved in the design of the East Window and other of the Stained Glass windows in the Church. His best known painting is 'The Meeting of Dante and Beatrice' which can be found in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. But his life's work lay in the field of Stained Glass and he continued to provide designs until 1926.He was active in the Stained Glass Field for over sixty years and his windows are to be found throughout the English Churches, in Wales, Scotland and abroad, especially in the United States where his Glass was very popular in the last decades of the 19th Century. His Glass in the 1890's was very colourful and attractive, his emerald greens, purples, pinks and golds providing a fresh change from the more restricted palettes of the other artists of the time. Examples of his work will be found at Worcester College, Oxford and St. Mary Magdelene, Paddington and at Casterton in Cumbria, Fylingdales in Yorkshire, Summerfieid School in Oxford and St. Michaels Church in Lewes, Sussex. Perhaps the greatest of his legacy to the Stained Glass field are the Brunel Memorial Window in Westminster Abbey, the West Window to Southwark Cathedral and the Great Rose Window at St. George's, Catford South London. THE FONTS. The original Font (now used in the Churchyard for floral displays) and pews from the back of the church were removed in 1980. The Font now in use in the church was retrieved from the derelict Chapel of St. Mary and the Angels Duxhurst. The brass plaque on the wall behind the Font is a memorial to Lady Henry Somerset of Reigate Priory, in recognition of her pioneering work at the Duxhurst Settlement from the late l890's until her death in 1921. A few of the vestments and ornaments from the Duxhurst Chapel were also given to Emmanuel Church for safe keeping. The above information taken with thanks from "A history of the Parish Church" found in the church premises. BRIEF HISTORY OF SIDLOW SCHOOL HOUSE During the 19th century it became obvious to the governing Parliament that it was necessary 'to promote the religious and moral education of the labouring classes'. It was felt that literacy was needed to be extended so that working people had the power to understand their responsibilities as citizens. In rural areas it was usually down to the Church to run any form of schooling and so it was probably a natural follow on that the local squires who had built Emmanuel Church should feel it incumbent on them to provide a School. Various Acts of Parliament had been passed and by 1861it seems that all children should have access to some formal learning. The Church was dedicated in 1861 and the School opened in January 1865. The School catered for the children of the labourers who worked for the estates of Kinnersley, Bures Manor and Hartswood. We know that the architect for the Church was Henry Clutton who had connections with Hartswood, but I have been unable to find any reference to the actual building of the School itself. It seems to be constructed very much like a barn with its thatched roof. We know that it was doubled in size in about 1871, this time with a tiled roof. There must have been some provision for toilets, but they were apparently 'barely sufficient'. The Log Books kept religiously daily by the teacher give a 'social history' perspective of the times and the School lasted on this site for 30 years. H.M.lnspector of Schools' Report to the Education Department in 1893 stated that the thatch leaked, the window panes let in water when it rained, the light was poor, the ventilation imperfect and the room of insufficient height. 'The cloak room accommodation is barely sufficient and the offices do not comply with the requirements of Rule 13 (d) of Schedule VII of the code'. The Managers of the school had to come up with improvements that would satisfy the Inspector, but this didn't happen and the school was forced to close in 1895. BUT the Vicar at the time appealed to the wealthy parishioners and managed to collect the necessary £500 to build new premises in lronsbottom.