The Corporatisation of Global Anglicanism

This article explores the corporate nature of missionary Anglicanism and its architectural consequences in Britain’s empire during the nineteenth century. It is argued that in highlighting the incorporated status of ecclesiastical organisations such as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts and the Colonial Bishoprics’ Fund we are able to reach a better understanding of not just how the objectives of these organisations mapped onto their operations “in the field” but also how the form of the accompanying ecclesiastical architecture was affected by their agenda. It is suggested that the influence and authority of these organisations, through their patronage, gave distinct shape to much of the Anglican missionary enterprise during this period, leading to a form of architecture that was in many respects a direct expression of the ideals and practices of the English Church as a constitutionally incorporated entity. This was therefore an architecture that can be seen to have both embodied and represented a certain “corporate identity.