Ravenscourt Baptist Church
| Ravenscourt Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
| File:Ravenscourt Baptist Church 02.JPG | |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | ravenscourtbaptist |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | West End Baptist Church |
| Founded | 1793 |
| Architecture | |
| Groundbreaking | 1971 |
| Completed | 1972 |
| Construction cost | £78,000 |
Ravenscourt Baptist Church is a church in Ravenscourt Road, Hammersmith, London. It was established in 1793 as the West End Baptist Church.[1] The current building opposite the Ravenscourt Park tube station opened in 1971.[2][3]
History
The church was originally formed by 13 members, who started meeting on Hampshire Hog Lane in 1793.[1][2] In 1808, it started a Sunday school for boys, which was opened to girls in 1839.[1]
A larger church building was built in 1851.[1] The West End Baptist Church on King Street was famously depicted in a painting by A. J. Messenger at the Royal Academy of Arts, described as "indicative of the heaviness of the Victorian style of buildings".[2]
Further modifications were made to the building in 1902.[1] By 1909, it had 630 members.[1]
By the 1960s, the church found it difficult to maintain the premises.[1] On 12 June 1971, four foundation stones, including three taken from the old premises, were laid for a new church building on Ravenscourt Road.[4] Church documents dating back to the 19th century, sealed in glass jars, became part of the new structure.[4] The minister at the time was the Reverend Frederick Hemmens.[5][4]
Later that year, excavators were tasked with digging up graves dating back to 1793 in the old church cemetery, after a special bill was passed in Parliament authorising development of the land, and Royal assent was granted in December 1970.[6][2] The cemetery had been used to bury dissenters who were not allowed to be buried on the "consecrated ground" of the Anglican Church.[6] As of 18 November 1971, eight skeletons had been unearthed; they were thought to be approximately 150 years old.[6]
The current church and hall block opened in 1972, with a new entrance on Ravenscourt Road.[1] The new church, which cost £78,000 to build, had a chapel seating 240 people, a large hall, two small halls, and a caretaker's two-bedroomed flat.[2][5] The front hall block on King Street became part of the Polish Social and Cultural Centre.[1]
In subsequent decades, church membership declined.[1] By 1993, it had only 40 members.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Persaud, Joy (22 October 1993). "Grass Roots". The Gazette. Hammersmith, Fulham & Shepherds Bush. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "'Church situation is more hopeful than it was'". Shepherds Bush Gazette and Hammersmith Post. 4 March 1971. Retrieved 2024-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Ravenscourt Baptist Church". Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Church records are now part of the structure". Shepherds Bush Gazette and Hammersmith Post. 17 June 1971. Retrieved 2024-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Baptists go to market". Shepherds Bush Gazette and Hammersmith Post. 23 November 1972. Retrieved 2024-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Old graveyard makes macabre work for the excavators". Shepherds Bush Gazette and Hammersmith Post. 18 November 1971. Retrieved 2024-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ravenscourt Baptist Church. |
Coordinates: 51°29′38″N 0°14′14″W / 51.4940°N 0.2371°W
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