This the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph objected to, and in 1874 Confessional Laws were passed annulling the Concordat of 1855 and regulating the relations of the Roman Catholic Church with the State.

This naturally left the British community in a difficult position although the law did allow members of a non-officially recognised religion (such as the Church of England) the right to private worship.

There is evidence that the Emperor came to regret the effect these laws had on various foreign communities living in his capital, and especially the British, with whom he was keen to encourage good relations in the hope of wooing the United Kingdom away from her German allegiance.

Following his death in 1859, his son Richard inherited the whole area including the palace his father had built shortly before his downfall after the liberal revolution of 1848 (since 1908 Italian Embassy).

A commemorative board at the back of the Church lists the main subscribers: these include Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, several businessmen and private individuals, as well as a number of Austrians who employed British subjects.

The character of Christ Church is defined by careful detailing – the pews, the pulpit, the organ loft and particularly the impressive hammer-beam roof – as well as good lofty Gothic proportions.

Rumpelmayer later adapted his designs for Christ Church, adding a tower and stone cladding, for his Maria Himmelfahrtskirche in Berndorf (Lower Austria), commissioned by the Krupp family and completed in 1883.

At that service, however, no bishop was present, and Christ Church was not officially consecrated until 11 June 1887, possibly because of hitherto outstanding bills for the construction.

The East Window originally showed Christ the Good Shepherd and was installed to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

The son of a German-born missionary to the Jews in Germany and France, Hechler was raised with an intimate knowledge of Jewish tradition and history and developed a passionate belief in prophecies to be found in the Books of the Old Testament.

He had previously been tutor to the son of the Grand Duke of Baden, and through this contact this shambling white-bearded eccentric, often wearing a huge cape made with pockets designed to hold Bibles and cushions, became a popular figure in the Courts of Germany.

When serving in Vienna, he spent much of his time travelling across the continent lecturing European royalty on the latest archaeological finds from the Holy Land.

His lifelong interest in the Jewish people complemented his fascination with Bible prophecy and Hechler became convinced that the years 1897-98 would see the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland.

Although the meeting gave legitimacy to Herzl's movement, it soon became clear that support would not come from Germany, but one of the results of the Zionist-German contacts was to awaken Britain to the aspirations of the Jewish people.

With the arrival of the Germans in Austria in March 1938, Grimes realised the full horrific implication of the annexation for the Jewish population of Vienna.

In July Grimes returned to London to explain his actions to the suspicious and disapproving authorities, and his place at Christ Church was taken by a retired Anglican priest from Cologne, the Reverend Frederick Collard, who continued the baptisms, sometimes carrying out over 100 a day.

In August, the verger of Christ Church, Fred Richter, himself a converted Austrian Jew, was arrested by the Gestapo on the charge of aiding espionage; he had been recruiting spies for the Passport Control Officer at the British Consulate, Capt.