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 small Sunday School and growing into an important part of the community. The church has been rebuilt after being destroyed during a war and continues to serve its local area today.
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The Beginning of St Paul's Church
St Paul's Church began as a Sunday School around 1850. A person called a City Missionary started this school in an area of Stratford known as New Town. The school helped teach children about faith.
Building the First Church
In 1853, a kind person named Samuel Gurney built a special building for the Sunday School. This building was on Queen Street. At that time, the school was part of the area covered by St John's Church, Stratford.
From Sunday School to a New Church
The leader of St John's Church, William Holloway, was not always sure about this new Sunday School. However, another church leader, A. J. Ram, bought land for the school to build its own church. First, a temporary iron hall was built in 1859. Then, a permanent church was finished in 1864. Both of these buildings were named St Paul's. People like Thomas Fowell Buxton and Raymond Pelly helped with the building of the permanent church.
St Paul's Own Parish
In 1865, St Paul's Church got its own separate parish. A parish is like a special area that a church is responsible for. Before this, it was part of St John's parish.
Rebuilding After War Damage
Sadly, the church building was destroyed in 1945 during World War II by a special weapon. But the community worked to rebuild it. A brand new church building was finished and officially opened in 1953.
St Mark's Mission Church
St Paul's parish also opened another small church called St Mark's. This mission church started in 1877. It was created to provide services especially for young women who worked in factories nearby. A permanent building for St Mark's was built in 1891.
St Mark's After the War
St Mark's Church also suffered damage from bombs during the war. After 1945, the building was sold to the Methodist Church.
St Paul's Church Today
Today, the parish of St Paul's Church is known by a new name: 'St Paul and St James, Stratford'. This change happened because the people who went to St James' Church, Forest Gate moved to St Paul's in 2014. The old area that St James' Church used to cover then became part of St Saviour's parish, also in 2014.
