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 | England |
| 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 Church of England church located in North Woolwich, a part of east London. It is also used by a Roman Catholic group. Because of this, it is sometimes called St John with St Mary and St Edward, North Woolwich. This longer name includes the names of the Catholic group's old churches.
Contents
History of St John's Church
The First Church Building
The first church building was officially opened on September 26, 1872. This ceremony is called "consecration." Thomas Legh Claughton, who was the Bishop of Rochester, led the event.
At first, St John's was a "mission church." This means it was a smaller church connected to a bigger one, St Mark's Church, Silvertown. It also had help from Uppingham School.
By 1877, St John's became a "parish church." This means it had its own area, or "parish," to serve. Before this, its area was part of the main East Ham parish. Then, it was part of St Mark's parish from 1864 to 1877.
Destruction and Rebuilding
Sadly, the original church building was destroyed on September 7, 1940. This was the very first day of the London Blitz. The Blitz was a time when London was heavily bombed during World War II.
After the bombing, only the old Infants School Hall was left. The church used this hall for its services for many years.
A new church building was finally completed. It was designed by Laurence King and Partners. This new church was consecrated on October 28, 1968. John Tiarks, the Bishop of Chelmsford, led this ceremony.
Merging Parishes
In 1974, two other churches, St Mark's and St Barnabas' Church, West Silvertown, were no longer needed. Their parishes then joined with St John's parish. St Barnabas' had already been looked after by St John's vicar since 1945.
This created the current parish of North Woolwich with Silvertown. This parish covers almost the same area as the Royal Docks ward in Newham today.
