St Luke's Church, Ilford facts for kids
St Luke's Church, Ilford, is a Church of England church located in Ilford, east London. It is named after Saint Luke. This church has a long history and has been an important part of the local community for over a hundred years.
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St Luke's Church, Ilford: A Community Hub
Early Beginnings and Design
St Luke's Church started as a small, temporary church in 1909. It was built as a "mission" to serve the growing community in the area. The original temporary building was part of the larger St Clement's parish.
A few years later, plans were made for a permanent church building. E. T. Dunn designed this new church. He created a building made of stone and red brick. Its style looked like old Gothic churches, especially the Perpendicular style.
Opening and Parish Status
The permanent St Luke's Church was officially opened in 1915. It had a main hall, called a nave, and two side sections, known as transepts. There were plans to add another part to make the church look like a cross from above, but this was never built.
Just one year after the new church opened, it became a full parish church. This meant it had its own area and its own priest. The old temporary church building from 1909 was then used as the church hall.
Wartime Damage and Rebuilding
During World War II, in 1940, London was heavily bombed. This period was known as the London Blitz. St Luke's Church was badly damaged by these bombings. For many years, the church community used the old 1909 church hall for their services.
It took a long time to repair the church. The reconstruction work was finally finished in 1954. This allowed the community to return to their main church building.
Modern Changes and Use
In 1983, the church building was changed inside. The main altar was moved to a different end of the church. New rooms were added, including meeting rooms, a kitchen, and toilets. A small chapel was also created within the church.
The church was redecorated again in 1998. Today, the Marthoma Church also holds its Sunday services at St Luke's. The Marthoma Church is a Christian group whose members are mainly Malayali people from Kerala, a state in South India.
