Portrait of Sir Walter Tapper Sir Walter Tapper & his Churches Gothic Revival architect, 1861–1935

The Churches

Although not his only work, Tapper’s churches are certainly what he is most famous for. By the time that he set up his own practice, he had been working for the office of G.F. Bodley and Thomas Garner for many years, and his experience in church buildings and their furnishings was great.

Tapper left Bodley in 1901. It is from this period that we see Tapper’s own churches emerge. His main churches are listed below, with their approximate build dates.

  1. 1903
    Church of the Ascension, Malvern Link from the SE.
  2. 1904
    St Mary, Harrogate from the SE.
    St Mary Harrogate
  3. 1905–10
    St Erkenwald, Southend-on-Sea from the SE (image supplied by St John’s Church, Southend).
    St Erkenwald Southend-on-Sea Demolished 1995
  4. 1908
    Mirfield Community of the Resurrection (image kindly supplied by Christopher Marsden).
  5. 1910–11
    St Oswald, Lythe from the SE (image kindly supplied by Kenneth Paver).
    St Oswald Lythe
  6. 1911–14
    St Stephen, Grimsby from the SE (© Crown copyright. NMR).
    St Stephen Grimsby Demolished 1973–74
  7. 1912
    Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch from the SE – image copyright of Dr John Salmon, used with permission.
    Church of the Annunciation Marble Arch No page yet
  8. 1912–14
    Guildford Grammar School Chapel from the SW – image supplied by Guildford Grammar School Library.
    Guildford Grammar School Chapel Guildford, Western Australia
  9. 1915
    St Michael, Little Coates from the SE.
    St Michael Little Coates
  10. 1919
    St Mark Whiteley Village, Surrey No page yet
  11. 1927
    Our Lady of Mercy and St Thomas of Canterbury, Gorton – interior.
  12. 1934
    Architect’s impression of St Oswald’s from the NE.
    St Oswald Deepdale Estate, Preston Demolished early 1990s

There are, of course, many different sources of build date – as research progresses, the dates shown above may change.

Map of the churches

Grey pins mark churches that have been demolished. Where the exact spot isn’t known, a shaded circle shows the approximate area. Guildford Grammar School Chapel is in Western Australia, so the map starts on Britain; zoom out to see it.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.