Welcome

Sir Walter Tapper and his Churches

I’ve been meaning to put together this site for a long time. The story, for me, started with St Erkenwald’s church, which once stood in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. I’ve gradually learnt more about Tapper and his work, and as a result, decided that I’d like to honour that work with a site detailing all of his complete churches.

Tapper also did work on church furnishings and ornamentation, though this is outside of the remit of this website.

I could not have put together this site, without the help of many others. Where possible, I have listed those people alongside their work. If I have missed any acknowledgements where they are due, please do let me know.

In particular, for a wealth of information regarding Sir Walter Tapper himself, I must give special thanks to both David Dolan & Leigh O’Brien, whose article in Early Days: Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society – ‘Sir Walter Tapper and the Guildford Grammar School Chapel’ has been indispensable.

I suspect that this work can never be complete, and therefore, another aim of this website is to hopefully encourage visitors to send me their own information in addition. There are particular publications that I am aware of, but that I cannot locate. However, I now have one such magazine article, by Robin Nicholls, titled “The Forgotten ‘cathedral’ of Southend-on-Sea”, which Robin supplied, and has allowed reproduction on this site, for which I am extremely grateful.

Exterior of St Erkenwald’s, Southend-on-Sea
St Erkenwald’s, Southend-on-Sea, where the story began.

Further Reading

Sir Walter Tapper and the Guildford Grammar School Chapel

By David Dolan and Leigh O’Brien, first published in Early Days: Journal of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. Six chapters on Tapper’s life, work and churches.

Read the biography →

The Forgotten ‘Cathedral’ of Southend-on-Sea

By Robin Nicholls, originally published in the September 1979 issue of Essex Countryside. An historical reflection on the building of St Erkenwald’s Church.

Read the article →

Obituary from The Architect, 1935

The notice of Sir Walter Tapper’s death published in The Architect on 27 September 1935, from the original article held by St Michael’s Church, Little Coates.

Read the obituary →