The five years following Waterloo witnessed relatively little new church building, but postwar confidence heralded a remarkably productive period of diligent and thorough research as a prelude to future construction: parliamentary debates and data gathering; the establishment of the Church Building Commission in 1818, which stimulated serious enquiries about the best ways to provide additional churches; and the establishment of the ICBS, also in 1818, which sought to raise private funding to increase accommodation. The publications of Richard Yates and letters in, for instance, the Gentleman's Magazine and Quarterly Review, kept the issues before a huge audience. The result was that, from around 1820, communities across the country began to witness church building on an unprecedented scale.

Activity in this period in London and southeast Lancashire – two areas which witnessed extensive building – is addressed in the next two chapters as case studies; here the focus is on building endeavours elsewhere led, heroically, by the Commissioners’ projects which reached out nationwide – many by ambitious London-based architects – and these set new standards of design that both inspired and educated local architectural talent. There were also some exceptional medium- sized rural churches paid for by enlightened landowners who provided generous budgets and employed the country's best architects. However, there were also many more modest schemes – perhaps designed by a local amateur, cleric or builder – that are also deserving of attention. It is clear that there was little real innovation in either style or planning; conservative attitudes prevailed on both counts. On the question of style, Classicism retained a certain popularity, especially in genteel communities, but the majority of new churches outside London were by now Gothic. There were also the occasional instances of Romanesque. So far as plans are concerned, the vast majority of the new churches followed the Wren/Gibbs rectangle, no doubt taking a lead from the Commissioners. Of the more radical alternatives, there were a handful of octagonal designs, some cruciform examples and just one that was semicircular.

Classical examples

One of the decade's most interesting churches is Holy Trinity, Hotwells, Bristol (C. R. Cockerell, 1829–30, bombed and much altered internally) (Fig. 13.2). The entrance was below the tower in the centre of the south front, which led to a central, domed crossing with longer arms reaching east and west.