St Mary's Church, Plaistow facts for kids
St Mary's Church is a Church of England church located in Plaistow, east London. The Church of England is the main Christian church in England. St Mary's is now part of a larger group of churches called the Parish of the Divine Compassion. This group also includes St Matthias’, St Martin’s, and St Philip and St James’.
The original church building was very old and built in the Victorian era. It has since been taken down. Today, the church community worships in a newer, smaller building that was built in 1981.
The Church's Early Days
St Mary's Church started as a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church built to help people attend services more easily. At that time, the only main church in the area was All Saints Church, West Ham.
In 1844, St Mary's became its own official parish church. This meant it had its own area and could serve its community directly. Sir John H Pelly gave the land for the church.
Building the First Church
The first St Mary's Church was designed by an architect named Thomas Curtis. He used a style called neo-Gothic. This style looked back to the grand churches of the Middle Ages. It was also influenced by the late Perpendicular style, which is a type of English Gothic architecture known for its tall, narrow windows and detailed stone work.
Growing the Community
Over the years, St Mary's Church became very important to the Plaistow community. One of its most well-known leaders was Thomas Given-Wilson, who was a vicar (a type of priest). He worked hard to make the church bigger. He oversaw a large rebuilding project that allowed the church to hold up to 1,000 people.
The church also helped build several smaller "mission churches" in the area. These were like branch churches that helped reach more people. Some of these included:
- St Peter's, Upton Road (built in the 1880s)
- St Katherine's on Chapman Road (first built in 1891, then a permanent church in 1894, but taken down in 1965)
- St Thomas' on Northern Road (used from 1898 to 1950)
- St Matthias' Canning Town (built in 1887)
These mission churches show how St Mary's helped spread its work and support the growing population of Plaistow.
