🏘 Our History

The Church

Emmanuel Church was designed by Henry Clutton and built in 1861. It 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 employees of local landowners, especially those who lived and worked at Kinnersley and Hartswood Manors. The benefactors also provided a Rectory nearby.

The church consists of a nave, chancel, north east vestry (former organ chamber), a tower sited at the north east of the nave and a south porch.

After the war, restoration and improvements were made. In 1962 the organ was moved from the Chancel Vestry to a newly constructed gallery at the west end. The church roof was also retiled.

In 1980, the parish became a plurality with St. Nicholas', Charlwood.

The Rectory was sold and further improvements were made to the church. The west end of the nave was converted to provide a choir vestry on the ground floor with sliding doors separating it from the nave.

An accessible toilet and, at first floor level, a meeting room with kitchen facilities (known as the Upper Room) were constructed, all necessitating the extension of the organ gallery to its present position..

Lych Gate

There is a very fine Lych Gate commemorating the fallen of the 1939-45 war.

Clergy

Rev William Lees

Rev Aston L Whitlock

Rev Walter Alwyn

Rev Alex H Shergold

Rev Charles W Wall

Rev David G N Clark

Rev William G Campen

Rev Sue Weakley

1861 - 1894

1895 - 1927

1928 - 1953

1954 - 1971

1971 - 1976

1976 - 1990

1992 - 2015

2015

Stained Glass

The windows are particularly fine, many of them were designed by Victorian artist Henry Holiday.

Like many churches in the land, the church suffered war damage during the 1939-45 war. One bomb that fell in the fields to the south of the church blew in the south windows of the chancel and cracked the largest east window, which had to be replaced.

Organ
Installed in 1862, the organ is a fine example of the early work of J W Walker. It was enlarged in 1910 to its current size of 2 manuals and pedals with 8 speaking stops and associated couplers. The action is a tracker throughout.

The organ has recently undergone full restoration. For more information click here.

Font
The original Font is sited in the Churchyard and used for floral displays. 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 1890’s until her death in 1921. A few vestments and ornaments from the Duxhurst Chapel were also given to Emmanuel Church for safe keeping.