Christ Church, Bray is in the Church of Ireland parish of Bray, County Wicklow located on Church Road on a rise, previously known as the Rock of Bray, behind Bray Town Hall. The church was built in 1863 in a Gothic Revival style.[1]
The church was consecrated in 1863 on St James' Day, 25 July. It is built from local granite in a simple French style but with several features, especially windows, which could have been derived from Irish medieval origins. When the church opened in 1863, the spire was not yet built. Work on it began in 1865 but completion was delayed by storms until 1870. This 53.3 m (175 ft) landmark, buttressed and crowned by pinnacles, an octagonal drum and spire, can be seen far and wide from the surrounding countryside and from distance out to sea.
For a further 10 years the tower remained empty until the peal of eight bells was hung. It is said that the impetus for a collection for a peal of bells came in a visit to Bray in 1877 with a remark by Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone that "so noble a church tower as this should not be silent".
The bells first rung out in 1881 (exactly 20 years after construction of the church started). They are still rung each year at midnight on 31 December to welcome a new year. The bells at Christ Church have been described as one of the finest peals in the whole of Ireland.[2]
Organedit
The organ of Christ Church was built by the organ builders Peter Conacher and Co. in 1911. It has 30 stops spread over three manuals and pedals. It was built in the style of its time; late English Romantic and is typical of that era. Unusually, the choir vestry occupies the organ case at ground level, with the pipework being housed above it.
Currently, a restoration is taking place by the Irish organbuilding firm Trevor Crowe Ltd. It is planned to restore Co. Wickow's largest organ to full playability, and enhance the tonal specification at a later date. As of late 2015, a new console has been fitted and some restoration work has been carried out.
The organ's specification is summarised as:
Great: Double Diapason 16, Open Diapason (Large) 8, Open Diapason (Small) 8, Gamba 8, Rohrflote 8, Principal 4, Harmonic Flute 4, Twelfth 2 2/3, Mixture III, Fifteenth 2 Trumpet 8.
Swell: Bourdon 16, Open Diapason 8, Rohrflote 8, Salicional 8, Voix Celeste 8, Principal 4, Mixture II, Horn 8, Oboe 8, Tremulant.
Pedal: Open Diapason 16, Bourdon 16, Unison 8, Trombone 16.
Couplers: Swell to Great, Swell Octave to Great, Swell to Pedal, Swell to Choir, Great to Pedal, Choir to Pedal, Choir Suboctave.
Organists and choiredit
The current organist and director of music is John Morris. Former organists include Derek Verso, Stuart O'Sullivan, David Bedlow and Sandra Bedlow.[citation needed]
The church has a large, robed, mixed-voice choir of children and adults, who lead the singing on Sundays.[citation needed]
Referencesedit
^Record at the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Ireland
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christ Church, Bray.
Church website
Church of Ireland website
January 01, 1970
christ, church, bray, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, novem. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Christ Church Bray news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2019 Learn how and when to remove this message Christ Church Bray is in the Church of Ireland parish of Bray County Wicklow located on Church Road on a rise previously known as the Rock of Bray behind Bray Town Hall The church was built in 1863 in a Gothic Revival style 1 Christ Church BrayChrist Church BrayChrist Church Bray53 11 49 01532 N 6 6 44 91817 W 53 1969487000 N 6 1124772694 W 53 1969487000 6 1124772694LocationBray County WicklowCountryIrelandDenominationChurch of IrelandWebsitehttp www christchurchbray ieHistoryFounded1861AdministrationProvinceDublinDioceseDublin and GlendaloughClergyBishop s Most Rev Michael JacksonRectorRev Baden Stanley Church entrance sign Contents 1 History and architecture 2 Organ 3 Organists and choir 4 References 5 External linksHistory and architecture editThe church was consecrated in 1863 on St James Day 25 July It is built from local granite in a simple French style but with several features especially windows which could have been derived from Irish medieval origins When the church opened in 1863 the spire was not yet built Work on it began in 1865 but completion was delayed by storms until 1870 This 53 3 m 175 ft landmark buttressed and crowned by pinnacles an octagonal drum and spire can be seen far and wide from the surrounding countryside and from distance out to sea For a further 10 years the tower remained empty until the peal of eight bells was hung It is said that the impetus for a collection for a peal of bells came in a visit to Bray in 1877 with a remark by Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone that so noble a church tower as this should not be silent The bells first rung out in 1881 exactly 20 years after construction of the church started They are still rung each year at midnight on 31 December to welcome a new year The bells at Christ Church have been described as one of the finest peals in the whole of Ireland 2 Organ editThe organ of Christ Church was built by the organ builders Peter Conacher and Co in 1911 It has 30 stops spread over three manuals and pedals It was built in the style of its time late English Romantic and is typical of that era Unusually the choir vestry occupies the organ case at ground level with the pipework being housed above it Currently a restoration is taking place by the Irish organbuilding firm Trevor Crowe Ltd It is planned to restore Co Wickow s largest organ to full playability and enhance the tonal specification at a later date As of late 2015 a new console has been fitted and some restoration work has been carried out The organ s specification is summarised as Great Double Diapason 16 Open Diapason Large 8 Open Diapason Small 8 Gamba 8 Rohrflote 8 Principal 4 Harmonic Flute 4 Twelfth 2 2 3 Mixture III Fifteenth 2 Trumpet 8 Swell Bourdon 16 Open Diapason 8 Rohrflote 8 Salicional 8 Voix Celeste 8 Principal 4 Mixture II Horn 8 Oboe 8 Tremulant Choir Flauto Traverso 8 Dulciana 8 Wald Flute 4 Piccolo 2 Orchestral Oboe 8 Clarinet 8 Pedal Open Diapason 16 Bourdon 16 Unison 8 Trombone 16 Couplers Swell to Great Swell Octave to Great Swell to Pedal Swell to Choir Great to Pedal Choir to Pedal Choir Suboctave Organists and choir editThe current organist and director of music is John Morris Former organists include Derek Verso Stuart O Sullivan David Bedlow and Sandra Bedlow citation needed The church has a large robed mixed voice choir of children and adults who lead the singing on Sundays citation needed References edit Record at the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Ireland Christ Church Bray Archived from the original on 2 July 2007 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christ Church Bray Church website Church of Ireland website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Christ Church Bray amp oldid 1185938962, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
