Christchurch, Road Hill, North Bradley
Road Hill was within the parish of North Bradley, and later Southwick, until 1937, when it was transferred to Rode and moved into Somerset. It was an area of housing distant from North Bradley and Southwick and it is unlikely that many inhabitants used the church at the former. A church was first suggested by the residents in 1822 and Charles Daubeny, vicar of North Bradley, raised subscriptions to build one. He also obtained grants from Queen Anne's Bounty and the Church Building Society. This raised about £8,000 and he gave the rest of the money himself, about £4,600, plus £1,000 to endow the living. Building work began in 1822 and the church was opened in 1824, being consecrated on 2nd September. The architect was H.E. Goodridge of Bath who designed the church in a pure Gothic style. It evoked strong contemporary reactions ranging from 'beautiful' to 'hideously ugly'. Designed as a parellelogram it was aligned on a east by south and west by north axis, with the interior measuring 78 feet 8 inches by 42 feet 8 inches. Many interior features were designed by Daubeny, who is buried here. There were 700 sittings, 550 were free while the rest were rented at 5 shillings (25p) each per year. Daubeny House, the former vicarage, was built shortly after the church was completed. In the 1851 church census the attendances for services were 60 in the morning and 140 in the afternoon, with a Sunday School of 12. The church was reseated in the 1890s.