St Paul's Church, Stratford facts for kids

St Paul's Church, Stratford is a Church of England church located in Stratford, London. It has a long history, starting as a Sunday School in the mid-1800s.

How St Paul's Church Began

The story of St Paul's Church started around 1850. A missionary opened a Sunday School in an area called Stratford New Town. This school helped teach children about faith.

In 1853, a building for this Sunday School was built on Queen Street. A kind person named Samuel Gurney helped construct it. At that time, this school was part of a larger church area known as St John's Church, Stratford.

Building a New Church

The vicar (leader) of St John's Church, William Holloway, wasn't always happy about the new mission school. But another vicar, A J Ram from All Saints Church, bought land for the mission to build its own church.

• In 1859, a temporary iron hall was built.
• In 1864, a permanent church was finished. Both of these buildings were named St Paul's.
• People like Thomas Fowell Buxton and Raymond Pelly helped with building the permanent church.

In 1865, St Paul's Church got its own separate parish (church area). This meant it was no longer part of St John's Church.

A New Start After War

Sadly, during World War II, the church was destroyed in 1945 by a special weapon called a V-weapon. But the community worked to rebuild it. A new church building was finished and opened in 1953.

Other Churches Connected to St Paul's

St Paul's parish also helped start another church called St Mark's Mission Church. This church opened in 1877 and was meant to serve factory girls in the area. A permanent building for St Mark's was built in 1891. It also suffered bomb damage during the war and was later sold to the Methodist Church after 1945.

Today, the parish of St Paul's is known as 'St Paul and St James, Stratford'. This change happened in 2014 when the people from St James' Church, Forest Gate joined St Paul's. The old area of St James' Church then became part of St Saviour's Church.

Images for kids

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  St Paul's Church