The opening of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1854 and of Gipsy Hill railway station two years later was followed by considerable residential development in the vicinity.

This was replaced by a permanent structure a short distance to the north, on a site at the southern corner of Gipsy Hill and Highland Road that had been given by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

[5] Based on statistics from the UK census, the Diocese of Southwark estimates the population of Christ Church parish was 6,200 in 2001 and 6,300 in 2011.

[6] Christ Church is Grade II listed building[7] standing in a prominent position on the west side of Gipsy Hill immediately north of its junction with Highland Road.

[8] The building was listed as of special architectural or historic interest in 1981 and the description on the English Heritage website relates to its condition at that time.

A new church building, designed by Brian Drury, was erected on the cleared site, providing a hexagonal worship area that connects directly to an entrance lobby and to the Goodliffe Hall, a 1960s structure that also survived the conflagration.