St Peter's Church, Upton Cross facts for kids

St Peter's Church was once a special building in East London, part of the Church of England. It stood on Upton Lane in an area called Upton Cross, which is in Newham. This church had an interesting history, starting small and growing, before eventually being taken down.

The Story of St Peter's Church

Early Beginnings

The story of St Peter's Church began as a small mission from St Mary's Church, Plaistow, located on Pelly Road. At first, services were held in a barn. Later, a simple iron church was used for worship. This shows how communities often start with small gatherings before building bigger places.

Building a New Church

A very important step happened in 1885. Joseph Lister was a famous doctor, and his old home, called Upton House, was bought by the bishop of St Albans. This house became the vicarage, which is where the church's priest lived. The large garden of Upton House was the perfect spot for a new, permanent church building.

The new St Peter's Church was built in 1893. Just one year later, in 1894, it became its own separate parish. A parish is like a local area that a church serves. St Peter's parish was created using parts of other nearby church areas, including All Saints, St Mary's, Emmanuel, and St Stephen's.

Changes Over Time

Many years later, in 1962, St Peter's parish joined with the Emmanuel parish. St Peter's Church itself remained standing, but it became a "chapel of ease" for Emmanuel. This means it was still used for services, but it was no longer the main church for its own parish.

Sadly, the old vicarage, Upton House, was pulled down in 1968. The land where it stood was sold. The money from this sale, along with funds from selling the church hall, was meant to help build a new church, a new church hall, and a home for the clergy (church leaders).

The End of St Peter's

However, these plans did not work out. In 1972, St Peter's Church was declared "redundant," meaning it was no longer needed for its original purpose. It was then demolished, and its site was also sold off. Because of this, the plans for a new church and buildings were completely stopped three years later. St Peter's Church, which had served its community for many years, was gone.

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