Welcome
Sir Walter Tapper and his Churches
I’ve been meaning to put together this site for a long time. The story, for me, started with St Erkenwald’s church, which once stood in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. I’ve gradually learnt more about Tapper and his work, and as a result, decided that I’d like to honour that work with a site detailing all of his complete churches.
Tapper also did work on church furnishings and ornamentation, though this is outside of the remit of this website.
I could not have put together this site, without the help of many others. Where possible, I have listed those people alongside their work. If I have missed any acknowledgements where they are due, please do let me know.
In particular, for a wealth of information regarding Sir Walter Tapper himself, I must give special thanks to both David Dolan & Leigh O’Brien, whose article in Early Days: Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society – ‘Sir Walter Tapper and the Guildford Grammar School Chapel’ has been indispensable.
I suspect that this work can never be complete, and therefore, another aim of this website is to hopefully encourage visitors to send me their own information in addition. There are particular publications that I am aware of, but that I cannot locate. However, I now have one such magazine article, by Robin Nicholls, titled “The Forgotten ‘cathedral’ of Southend-on-Sea”, which Robin supplied, and has allowed reproduction on this site, for which I am extremely grateful.
The Churches
All churches, with build dates and a map →
1903Church of the AscensionMalvern Link
1904St MaryHarrogate
1905–10St ErkenwaldSouthend-on-SeaDemolished 1995
1908Community of the ResurrectionMirfield
1910–11St OswaldLythe
1911–14St StephenGrimsbyDemolished 1973–74
1912–14Guildford Grammar School ChapelGuildford, Western Australia
1915St MichaelLittle Coates
1927Our Lady & St ThomasGorton
1934St OswaldDeepdale Estate, PrestonDemolished early 1990s
Further Reading
Sir Walter Tapper and the Guildford Grammar School Chapel
By David Dolan and Leigh O’Brien, first published in Early Days: Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. Six chapters on Tapper’s life, work and churches.
Read the biography →The Forgotten ‘Cathedral’ of Southend-on-Sea
By Robin Nicholls, originally published in the September 1979 issue of Essex Countryside. An historical reflection on the building of St Erkenwald’s Church.
Read the article →Obituary from The Architect, 1935
The notice of Sir Walter Tapper’s death published in The Architect on 27 September 1935, from the original article held by St Michael’s Church, Little Coates.
Read the obituary →