St John's Church, North Woolwich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Church, North Woolwich |
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| St John with St Mary and St Edward, North Woolwich |
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| 51°30′2.5272″N 0°3′31.2732″E / 51.500702000°N 0.058687000°E | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Consecrated | 26 September 1872 (original); 28 October 1968 (current) |
| Architecture | |
| Years built | 1872 |
St John's Church, North Woolwich is a special church in North Woolwich, east London. It belongs to the Church of England. What's interesting is that a Roman Catholic group also uses it! Because of this, it's sometimes called St John with St Mary and St Edward, North Woolwich. This longer name honors the churches the Catholic group used to meet in.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's History
The First Church Building
The first St John's Church was built a long time ago. It was officially opened on September 26, 1872. A bishop named Thomas Legh Claughton did the opening ceremony. At first, it was like a smaller "mission church." It helped the bigger St Mark's Church, Silvertown. By 1877, it became its own main church. It served its own special area, called a parish. This area used to be part of another church's parish.
Destruction and Rebuilding
Sadly, the church building was destroyed on September 7, 1940. This was the very first day of the London Blitz. The Blitz was a time during World War II when bombs fell on London. Only the old Infants School Hall was left standing. The church used this school hall for services for many years.
A brand new church building was finally opened on October 28, 1968. John Tiarks, who was the Bishop of Chelmsford, led the opening ceremony. The new church was designed by a company called Laurence King and Partners.
Merging Parishes
In 1974, two other churches, St Mark's and St Barnabas' Church, West Silvertown, were no longer needed. Their areas, or parishes, joined with St John's. St Barnabas' had already been looked after by the vicar of St John's since 1945. This created the current parish of North Woolwich with Silvertown. This area is mostly the same as the Royal Docks part of Newham today.
