Deutsche Evangelische Christuskirche

The Deutsche Evangelische Christuskirche stands on Montpelier Place in Knightsbridge, a quiet corner of London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a German Protestant church, built in the early 20th century to serve a congregation that had outgrown earlier meeting places. The congregation began in the 18th century at the Savoy Chapel and later moved to St James’s Palace. By the 19th century it worshipped at the Hamburg Lutheran Church in Dalston before relocating to Eccleston Hall in Victoria. The need for a permanent building led to the creation of this church.

The church owes its existence to Sir John Schroder, 1st Baronet, who funded its construction in memory of his late wife Evelina. The building was designed by Edward Boehmer and Charles G. F. Rees and completed in 1905 by Dove Brothers. Its stained glass windows were made by Franz Xaver Zettler, Ostermann & Hartwein, and Schneiders & Schmolz. When it opened in 1904, royal and diplomatic figures attended the dedication. After the Second World War, theologian Julius Rieger called it the most significant German church in London, noting that many worshippers were refugees from Nazi Germany.

Inside, the church retains its original features and stained glass. The interior is simple yet dignified, with seating arranged for congregational worship. The windows cast coloured light across the nave, creating a calm atmosphere. The building remains a place of worship and a link to London’s German community. Its quiet location in Knightsbridge offers a contrast to the busy streets nearby. The church continues to serve both long-standing members and newer arrivals from German-speaking countries.