St John the Baptist, Dale Road (Roman Catholic)
A gothic church of 1938 by E.J. walters with north and south chapels added in 1958 by Walters and Kerr Bate.
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St Barnabas, Higher Drive, Purley closed June 2025
At the peak of a steep hill, this church was designed by George Lowe and Partners in 1959, it replaced a church of 1932 which still exists as a hall (and church in cold weather) hidden behind this church. The last few pictures show the interior of this building which had replaced another small early 20th century building. The lady chapel has a painting by John Hayward.
The church closed on 8 June 2025 its altar was moved to a side chapel at All Saints, Kenley which is now All Saints & St Barnabas.
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St Swithun, Grovelands Road, Purley
On a hillside on the west side of the Brighton Road. There are two buildings here. On the higher ground is what is now the church hall built in 1929 and designed by S. Jupp. Below it is a church of 1954 designed By D.E. Nye and Partners. This is on the site of a church by N.F. Cachemaille-Day which was left incomplete at the outbreak of WW2 and largely demolished to enable this building to be constructed. A window and plaque commemorate two churches in Greenwich destroyed in the war and whose compensation sums paid for this building. The hall is shown in the last 2 images.
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St James, St James Road, Riddlesdown
Partway up a steep hillside above the Brighton Road, the church was designed by Greenaway and Newberry and constructed in 1915. In 1930 Newberry & Fowler extended the nave by a bay and added a chancel, north chapel and vestries.
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All Saints, Hayes Lane, Kenley
Up a steep private road near Kenley Station. This is a church of 1870-72 by James Fowler. The nave was extended a bay westwards in 1897 and a baptistry added in 1902.
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St Mary Help of Christians, Coulsdon Road, Old Colulsdon (Roman Catholic)
This church and built in 1965 and replaced what is now the church hall next door which was built in 1955.
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St John the Evangelist, Canons Hill, Old Coulsdon
Several churches in the London suburbs had to be adapted from small medieval buildings to one that could cope with a much larger suburban population. In this case the south aisle was demolished and much larger aisles, nave and chancel were added at right angles in 1958 and designed by Sebastian Comper. The old church is now an entrance area with the chancel used as a chapel and the north aisle as a vestry. The new church interiors are in the last 6 rows.
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St Mary and St Shenoudah, Rickman Hill, Coulsdon (Coptic Orthodox)
Well away from the town centre, up a steep hill. The congregation was formed in 1988 and uses a building that was opened in 1928 as St Francis CoE church, extended in the 1960s but declared redundant in 1987. It had been a chapel to St Andrew’s church. The architect is unknown.
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St Aidan, Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon (Roman Catholic)
Lower down the hill than St Andrew but firmly in suburbia. The original church was begun in 1932 by Adrian Scott and completed in 1966 by Burles, Newton & Partners.
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St Andrew, Woodmansterne Road, Coulsdon
High up above the town centre of Coulsdon this church was built between 1911 and 1914 and designed by F.H. Greenway & J.E. Newberry but was incomplete until 1962 when a permanent west end was added by John Stammers. The screen between the entrance and the church has some large panes of engraved glass which proved difficult to photograph. There is some post-WW2 stained glass by Ninian Comper.
London Churches in photographs 