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Black and White photo of Church interior showing pews and altar

Black and White photo of Church exterior and house, c.1960s

Black and White photo of the church-yard showing the red obelisk tomb-stone of George Baxter near the porch, 1967

Black and White postcard of Church exterior, c.1966

Black and White postcard of the tower of the Church and surrounding trees

Black and White photo of George Baxter's details from gravestone, 1967

Black and White photo of the red granite tombstone of George Baxter, 1967

Christ Church, the parish church of Forest Hill, was the exact contemporary of the new Crystal Palace, the foundation being laid in 1852 and the consecration held in 1854 even though the spire was not completed until 1885. Ewan Christian was the architect. The site was given by the Earl of Dartmouth, lord mayor of the manor, who wanted an imposing centre piece for his prestigious Dartmouth Park estate. The estate was planned in the 1840s, but largely built in the 1850s. In 1851 there were no churches in Forest Hill, but by 1901 there were 15 or more.

Tudor Hall, which was originally known as Red Hall, was built in 1854 - 1855, and was probably first occupied by one of Queen Victoria's maids of honour. It was the largest house in Dartmouth Park, an estate built for the Earl of Dartmouth in the 1850s around Christ Church, the spire of which can be seen on the left. This was one of the Forest Hill developments planned after the opening of the station in 1839, and given added impetus in 1852 by the news that the Crystal palace was coming to Sydenham. Between 1865 and 1908 Tudor Hall was a very smart boarding school for girls. The main body of the house was demolished in 1961, and only the wing on the right survives.