The church interior

The church entrance is at the west end, into the baptistery, from where there is a view down the nave to the chancel. Note how the relatively dark nave leads to the lightness of the chancel, even though there is no east window - an unusual feature.

On the wall of the north aisle are two war memorials. The upper one commemorates five men from "this village" who were killed during the First World War, but it is not all it seems as it pre-dates the church building. Percy Aldridge, Victor Gregson, Samuel Kibble, George Moore and Herbert Putman all came from the village of Totteridge and was originally located in the little church of St Andrew, which was closed in 1977 when the Totteridge congregation joined Terriers. The lower memorial is to Peter Beecroft, who died in the Second World War.

On the south wall of the chancel is the piscina. The lower part was originally used for washing the communion vessels, the name is the Roman word for a fish pond and comes from the Latin piscis, meaning fish.

The sacring bell

Although it has a massive tower with a belfry, it contains only one bell. This is the sacring bell, rung before each service to call people to church and at the consecration during the communion service.

The bell rope

The rope to ring the sacring bell is on the north side of the chancel. Here it is being rung by a member of the congregation who, unfortunately, wishes to remain anonymous. However, the photographer and her husband both report that she has a lovely smile.

The church exterior

The tall tower is the most striking external feature of the church and, with its prominent position at the top of a hill, it can be seen from a long way off. For example, it is clearly visible from trains approaching High Wycombe station from the London direction. Ironically it is least obvious from the Amersham Road, on which the church is located! This view was taken from Arnison Avenue, to the south east.

The organ

We are fortunate to have an excellent organ to accompany our main services. It was built over many years by one of our congregation, Hugh Brocklehurst, and local organ builder Ken Breedon. This picture shows the Great and Swell parts of the organ, which are situated in the north transept. The completed instrument was dedicated by the Bishop of Buckingham in January 2004. More information about the history of the organ, and a specification, is published in a leaflet available on the Downloads page.

The last part of the organ to be completed was the Choir organ, which is located in the south transept, above the console.

The console is in an elevated position in the south transept, above the choir stalls. The picture shows former assistant organist Matthew Edmonds in action.

75th Anniversary Banners

As part of the celebration of our 75th anniversary in 2005, four decorative banners were designed and made by a team led by church member Jean Pooley. Each of the designs illustrates a saying of Jesus on the theme "I am ...". as documented in St John’s Gospel.

“I am the bread of life”
(chapter 6, verse 48)

“I am the light of the world"
(chapter 8, verse 12)

“I am the good shepherd"
(chapter 10, verse 11)

“I am the vine”
(chapter 15, verse 5)