Although now very much part of the Grange Park scene, St. Peter's
Church is relatively new. Back in the 1920's, when the area was
still mostly fields and orchards, with very few houses, the majority
of the current parish was part of St. Paul's, Winchmore Hill, with
a small part coming within the boundaries of St. Andrew's, Enfield.
It became increasingly clear that Grange Park was an area where
a good deal of building was going to take place and it was felt
that the Church should be there to meet the needs of those who would
be moving into the new houses. Largely due to the vision of the
then Vicar of St. Paul's, Winchmore Hill, the Reverend R. Webb Odell,
money was raised to build a temporary church on the site. The estimated
cost of this building was £1,500.00.
The site came within the part of the parish which was within the
boundaries of St. Andrew's, Enfield. The necessary permission was
obtained from the Vicar of Enfield, and on 1st October 1927, the
new building was dedicated to the Bishop of Willesden. However,
the actual Parish of St. Peter's did not come into being until December
1941, but remained a mission church of St. Paul's, Winchmore Hill
until then.
Such was the enthusiasm within the Church that Scout and Guide
Troops were formed very quickly and within two years a Church Hall
had been built at the cost of £540.00!
The present Vicarage was built in 1937, although the study and
fourth bedroom were not added until 1956.
By 1939 it was becoming increasingly clear that a more permanent
structure was needed with the population in the area expected to
reach 7,000. Plans were drawn up and approved for a new church at
an estimated cost of £8,560.00 with the Diocese of London
agreeing to pay half, provided that the parish could raise the rest.
Although the country was in the grip of the Second World War, the
foundation stone for the present church was laid on 1st June 1940
by the Bishop of Willesden. As work progressed, the new building
could be seen from the railway, prompting letters in the local press,
on the one hand as to the rights and wrongs of such building work
being carried out during the war, and on the other hand pointing
out that the building work was a boon to the building trade, who
were suffering from lack of work.
In any event, work progressed. The church has been called "the
church of bits and pieces", as so much of it came from London
churches that had been destroyed during the Blitz. No new timber
was used in the construction. Roof timbers came from churches in
Bow, Islington, Edgeware Road and Bethnal Green. The pews and pulpit
came from St. Etheldrea's, Fulham Palace Road. the choir stalls
came from St. Stephen's, Poplar, the font from St. Catherine's,
Hammersmith, and the bell, dated 1785, came from St. John's, Drury
Lane. The original alter rails came from St. Catherine Coleman in
the City of London in 1923, when the church was demolished. These
were taken to St, Catherine's, Hammersmith, for safe keeping and
then loaned to us. They were returned to the London Diocese when
the current ones were installed.
A delightful story, that was current at the time of rebuilding,
stated that the building work had the blessing of Sir Winston Churchill
because he considered that it would boost the morale of the public
during the dark days of the war. The truth of this story could never
be substantiated and thus must be relegated to the category of legend.
The completed church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on
All Saints' Day, 1st November 1941. It was not until six weeks later
that St. Peter's became a legal parish.
When the new church was built, the temporary church was converted
into a large hall by means of building a stage where the Chancel
had been and by making other minor alterations. It should be remembered
that it was only ever intended to be a temporary structure, but
still serves as a church hall to this day, with all the problems
in regard to heading and insulation that abound.
As you walk around the church, you cannot fail to be aware of the
beautiful stained glass windows. The two circular windows, one above
the alter given in memory of F/O Donald reginald Hale R.A.F.V.R.,
who was killed whilst on active service on 16th March 1944, and
one above the Font, in memory of Thomas Leach, were already in place,
as were two windows in the Lady Chapel, when, in 1945 the Reverend
J O de Vile became Vicar. However, all the other windows were clear
glass. He approached the stained-glass window artist, Miss Aldrich
Rope, to prepare drawings for the four windows in the Chancel to
depict incidents in the life of St. Peter and a further eight windows
in the Nave to illustrate the theme of Creation and Redemption.
These windows were given as memorials. At a later date, the small
windows in the aisles, based on traditional emblems of the Apostles,
were agreed.
In the 1960's the Church was completely re-decorated and looked
beautiful until large patches of damp began to appear on the interior
walls. It could never be proved to what extent the problems were
caused by having to use poor quality war-time materials in the building,
but then as now it is a major cause for concern.
Also in the 1960's, in February 1964 to be exact, the Church Council
was informed that the original Compton organ could no longer be
kept in a servicable condition and it was agreed to purchase the
new organ at a cost of £3,250, with the old organ being taken
in part exchange for £500. The 'new' organ, which is still
in use today, was eventually completed in 1970.
In 2000, the Reverend Eric Greer and his family moved to St. Peter's
and Eric was induced as Vicar. Under his leadership, the Parochial
Church Council (PCC) have, over the past three years, again been
faced with problems caused by damp. Extensive work to the roof was
carried out during 2004 and the congregation are again confronted
with the huge task of raising money to re-plaster and then restore
the interior of the church to its former beauty.
During the Reverend Steven Startup's time at St. Peter's, a member
of the congregation asked if his wife's ashes could be interred
in the churches grounds. Permission was obtained and the area was
duly consecrated. Since then, the Memorial Garden at the side of
the church has been renovated. Inside the Church there is a Memorial
Book, into which are written the names of those who have worshipped
at St. Peter's and have now died.
The recently introduced 'Disability Act' requires us to provide
suitable disabled facilities and plans are being drawn up to provide
a disabled toilet. We also have a small committee who are looking
at the future of the Church Halls. As we mentioned previously, the
Halls were transformed from being used as the original church. When
built they were only ever designed as a temporary structure, and
yet still provide a home for our weekly Sunday School, Youth Group
and various other organisations who use them regularly. Clearly
their life expectancy is not good and in the years ahead, the PCC
will have to make some decisions as to their future.
In conclusion, a church has stood on the corner of Vera Avenue
and Langham Gardens, ministering to the people of Grange Park, since
1927. Almost 90 years later, the present church still ministers
to what is now a very different and much more populated area. As
fields have given way to houses, the mission of spreading the Word
of God to Grange Park residents continues unabated.
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