St Nicholas' Chapel, Manor Park facts for kids
St Nicholas' Chapel in Manor Park is a special Roman Catholic church. It is located in Manor Park, which is part of East London. A Roman Catholic church is a place where Christians who follow the Catholic faith go to worship.
Contents
The Story of St Nicholas' Chapel
How It Began
St Nicholas' Chapel started a long time ago, in 1870. It was first built as a chapel for a school called St Nicholas's Catholic Industrial School for Boys. This school was in a building called Manor House. Before the school, the Manor House was home to the Fry family, who were Quakers. A famous member of this family was Elizabeth Fry, known for her work helping prisoners.
Becoming a Parish Church
Over time, the chapel became more important. In 1918, St Nicholas' Chapel became a parish church. This means it became the main church for a specific area, called a parish. It was still a chapel for the school, but it also served the wider community in Manor Park.
Changes and New Names
In 1924, St Nicholas' Chapel got its own smaller chapel, called St Stephen's, located in Little Ilford. A few years later, in 1934, things changed again. St Stephen's became the main parish church, and St Nicholas' Chapel became its chapel. The whole area then became known as the Parish of St Stephen and St Nicholas.
The school that the chapel was originally built for closed in 1925. After the school closed, most of its land and buildings were sold. Only the chapel and the house where the priests lived remained.
