Beside the green on the West side of Esher stands this iron church, St George’s West End.
It has a single bell in its small bell tower, and a fence made in a particular way, which I tried hard to show. I wondered if it is intentionally in the shape of a line of crosses, appropriate for a Christian church.
This is one of dozens of “tin tabernacles” or iron churches across the UK. Wikipedia has a whole list. Some of them are strikingly similar to this one.
They were built in the late 19th century, in response to expanding demand, using the new technology of corrugated iron. Many of them, including this one, were pre-fabricated.
According to a 2004 article on this church by Angela Stockbridge the land was donated by Queen Victoria in 1878. “A need was felt to make provision for “the spiritual wants of the “Aged, Poor and Infirm of West End”” and to spare them from the steep and often muddy climb into Esher” she writes. It was intended to be a temporary church. 145 years later, here it is, still standing, and still hosting services.
The church is dedicated to St George. Above the porch is a stained glass window, evidently showing the Knight slaughtering the Dragon. I could just make him out standing on the stirrups of his white horse. The church was closed when I visited, but I hope to go inside on a future occasion. I am told that inside it is cladded with white-painted wood panelling.
I sketched the church from the village green opposite. It was damp and muddy. When I’d had enough, I retreated to the “Prince of Wales” for some lunch. Then I went on to sketch the church in Esher town centre: another St George’s.
“They do tend to heat up in summer and stay cold in winter, and the rain makes a noise on their roofs, but they have proved remarkably sturdy. As one commentator writes, “Tin Tabernacles are an important if brief and overlooked episode in the history of church architecture,” and have a claim to “be recognised as listed buildings, particularly as examples of prefabrication” (Dopson 204-05).”
https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/churches/58.html
Dopson, Laurence. “Tin Tabernacles.” Words from “The Countryman”. Ed. Valerie Porter. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2007. 204-05.
Jane Sketching 
It looks like a lot of rural churches we have seen in New Zealand and Australia. As they all look so similar I called them “IKEA” churches as I speculated they may have come in flat pack kit form, or at least built from a common blueprint plan used around the empire in the 1800’s
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How interesting! Do you have any pictures? You were right! I read that these tin tabernacles were indeed prefabricated. See for example this article on the “Historic England” blog:
“Several firms, such as William Cooper Ltd of London and Francis Morton in Liverpool, produced a range of prefabricated iron buildings they offered for sale in catalogues. By 1850 the technology was being exported worldwide by enterprising manufacturers such as Samuel Hemming of Bristol (and later of London). Many prefabricated buildings were produced, including churches, chapels and mission halls. They were built in new industrial areas, pit villages, near railway works, and more isolated rural and coastal locations.”
Today I went to have a look at the tin tabernacle in Kilburn, mentioned in this article. It’s in a poor state of repair, but definitely still there. It’s a different design from the one in Esher, much larger. But all made of corrugated iron.
I am intrigued by this humble form of church architecture.
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