The Greenwich and Bexley Area Health Authority was established in 1974 following the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973. It was responsible for the management and administration of hospitals in this area. In 1982 all Area Health Authorities were replaced by District Health Authorities.
Battersea and Putney Hospital Management Group was responsible for the administration of hospitals in the Battersea and Putney area. The hospitals it managed were the Battersea General Hospital, Bolingbroke Hospital, Saint John's Hospital (on Saint John's Hill), Putney Hospital, Battersea Chest Clinic and Wandsworth Chest Clinic. In July 1964 it amalgamated with the Tooting Bec Hospital Management Group to form the Battersea, Putney and Tooting Group Hospital Management Committee.
Joyce Green Hospital, Joyce Green Lane, Dartford; previous name: Joyce Green Smallpox Hospital (1903 - 1948).
Previous locations:
Hospital ships: Dreadnought, Greenwich (1871 - 1881)
Endymion and Atlas, Greenwich (1881 - 1884)
Long Reach, Dartford (1884 - 1903)
Castalia, Long Reach, Dartford (1884 - 1903).
The Joyce Green Smallpox Hospital opened on 28 December 1903, the third of the hospitals known as the River Hospitals, along with Long Reach Hospital and The Orchard. They were built to replace the hospital ships Atlas and Endymion which had been moved in 1884 from Greenwich to an isolated situation at Long Reach near Dartford, and the twin hulled Castalia. Originally built for cross-channel services but never used as such, the Castalia was refitted to accommodate 150 smallpox patients with five ward blocks arranged on the double hulls. The hospital ships became too costly and dangerous and after the construction of the new hospital on land nearby Long Reach; they were sold for scrap in 1904.
With a massive outbreak of smallpox in 1901 the temporary Long Reach hospital with 300 beds opened in 1902. The Orchard a larger temporary hospital housing 800 beds also opened in 1902 and at the end of 1903 Joyce Green was opened. All three were administered by a Medical Superintendent, Steward and Matron and were known as The River Hospital for over 60 years until Long Reach and the Orchard closed in 1948.
Although Joyce Green opened to help ease the 1901 smallpox epidemic by the end of 1903 the epidemic was over and deaths were few. Not until the 1920's was there a repeat epidemic but this was only a minor one. Instead the hospital was used as a fever hospital to isolate infectious patients.
It was used as a fever hospital for much of the Great War, occasionally coping with the arrival of large numbers of war refuges most notably in July 1918 when at a week's notice 1000 refuges were received all of whom were vaccinated against smallpox even though only two were found to be infected. After the war, Joyce Green reverted to being a fever hospital with a major outbreak of scarlet fever.
By 1923 Joyce Green was more or less empty and surviving the threat of demolition was rebuilt and repaired taking into account modern thought to include isolation units and electric light. The Medical Superintendent at this time also turned his attention to the grounds at Joyce Green, which to his credit and that of his gardener, Henry W. Hopkins, became a centre of plant propagation for other Metropolitan Asylums Board institutions. In 1928 there was a major outbreak of smallpox so Joyce Green was finally being used for its true purpose.
With the outbreak of War, Joyce Green underwent several changes in role from smallpox hospital to fever hospital to Emergency Medical Hospital from 1939 -1941, and it saw an increase in beds from 986 to over 1500 and the setting up of specialist hospital units including three x-ray departments. The hospital survived with no major was damage but by 1945 patient numbers fell back to 428, and with the cessation of war a decline in activity.
In 1948 the NHS took control from the London County Council and Joyce Green was run by the South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board and Darenth and Dartford Hospital Management Committee. In 1974 after NHS reorganisation it was run by the South East Thames Regional Health Authority and the Dartford and Gravesham District Health Authority.
In 1998 Joyce Green Hospital formed part of the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust along with West Hill Hospital, which is closed to all except outpatients. Joyce green covers Accident and Emergency, general surgery, urology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, haematology, general medicine, care of the elderly and postgraduate medical training. In September 2000 the purpose built Darenth Valley Hospital opened to replace Joyce Green Hospital, West Hill Hospitals and Gravesend maternity services.
See also website managed by Francine Payne: http://www.dartfordhospitalhistories.org.uk/ (correct as of August 2010).
Shenley Hospital, Radlett, Hertfordshire was opened on 31st May 1934 as part of the Middlesex Colony. Along with Napsbury Hospital it was established for the care of the mentally ill.
The hospital was built on the site of Porters Park and provided accommodation initially for 1047 and the full development of 2000 beds with 500 staff. It was planned on the villa system comprising of small nursing units ranging from 20-45 patients and had its own water supply treatment, sewage works and farm.
Shenley Hospital originally came under the aegis of Middlesex County Council. In 1948 it became part of the North Western Metropolitan Hospital Board until 1974 and the first major re-organisation of the NHS when the new health authorities were set up. Shenley came under the North West Thames Regional Health Authority and the Brent and Harrow Area Health Authority until 1982 when the Area Health Authorities were abolished and replaced with new districts in this case Brent District Health Authority. Finally in 1992 the hospital came under the responsibility of the North West London Mental Health NHS Trust until its closure in 1997.
Shenley Hospital closed in 1997 and the only remaining part is the Tower, the land has been redeveloped as a housing estate.
Napsbury Hospital opened in 1905 as Napsbury Asylum, a metropolitan asylum. In 1918 it became Napsbury Mental Hospital and had another change of name in 1943 when it became known as Napsbury Hospital. In 1948 the hospital came under the management of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board until 1974 when it became part of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority. The hospital closed in 1999.
The Convalescent home was opened on the 25th August 1888 and was founded by Mrs Clifton-Brown and Major Vaughan Morgan.
On 13 June 1750 a meeting to consider the establishment of a hospital for the care and treatment of the poor suffering from mental illnesses took place at the King's Arms, Exchange Alley, City of London between Thomas Crowe, physician, Richard Speed, druggist, James Sperling, merchant, William Prowing, apothecary, Thomas Light, merchant and Francis Magnus. At this time, provision for treatment of individuals from poor families in London was made at the Bethlem Hospital, but waiting lists were long and alternatives were private 'mad houses' which were beyond the means of most people.
From the beginning, the founders of Saint Luke's Hospital intended to cure 'lunacy', as well as to make treatment accessible to poorer people. Two apothecaries were found to prepare and supply all drugs required free of charge, and after 4 months over £1000 had been pledged and a committee formed to establish the hospital. Appeals for funds gave people opportunity to be come Governor of the hospital for life if they gave £20. At Bethlem, the public were allowed to come and look at the 'lunatics' on public holidays, as a form of leisure. One of the first rules of the new hospital was 'that patients in this hospital be not exposed to publick view'.
The first site of the hospital, called Saint Luke's Hospital for Lunatics, was the old Moorfields Foundry leased by the City of London. George Dance, City Surveyor advised on the conversion of the building and gave his services free. The hospital was named Saint Luke's due to its proximity to Saint Luke's, Old Street. In July 1751, the first patients were admitted. During the 1750s, there were 50 'curable' and 20 'incurable' patients with staff consisting of the Keeper and his wife, with 2 male and 2 female attendants.
The hospital's funds were substantially increased with a major bequest of £30,000 by Sir Thomas Clarke, Master of the Rolls. This allowed a move in 1786 from the Foundry to a 3 acre site on Old Street leased from Saint Bartholomew's Hospital. The number of patients increased to 80 'curable' patients and 30 'incurable' patients. In 1832 an infirmary was added to the hospital. From 1833, occupational therapy for patients was introduced.
In 1841 the hospital came under the authority of the London Commissioners in Lunacy. The Commissioners considered the Old Street site to be unsuitable for reception of patients due to its central location in London. The Governors argued that the capital's population required provision of treatment of individuals with mental health conditions and did not have financial reserves to leave the site or receive financial benefit from terms of the existing lease. To increase funds, following successive building alterations and improvements, it was decided in 1858 to admit 'incurable' patients on a paying basis.
In 1882 the Keeper and Matron (wife of Keeper) system of administration was abolished, and qualified nurses were admitted. Further training was supplied by the Medical Superintendent. In 1904 nursing uniforms were introduced.
From 1871 the Governors began examining options for acquiring a second site for the use of convalescent patients. In 1893 Nether Court, Saint Lawrence-on-Sea, Ramsgate, Kent and 12 acres of grounds was rented for the benefit of female patients and later bought in 1901. In 1910, Welders House and Estate near Jordans, Buckinghamshire consisting of 135 acres was purchased for the establishment of a large convalescent home but was never brought to completion.
By end of 19th century, state-run County Asylums were well established for the reception of patients with families with limited means.The proportion of patients from the middle classes therefore increased.
The Old Street site was finally sold to the Bank of England in 1916, following lengthy negotiations with Saint Bartholomew's. By the end of 1916, most patients has been discharged back to their families or to other hospitals.
In 1922 an out-patients department was begun at the Middlesex Hospital to provide beds for patients. In 1930 Woodside Nerve Hospital was opened at Woodside Avenue, Muswell Hill, and the hospital purchased the 3 buildings in the road. In 1938 28 Grand Avenue was taken into use as a nurse's home and arrangements for resident patients at the Middlesex was terminated.
In the 1935 the hospital treated the following range of cases (source: summary statistics contained in H64/B/08/01/001):
- 'Organic nervous and mental disorders': Alcoholism, cardiovascular (involving the heart and blood vessels), Meniere's Syndrome (inner ear condition causing dizziness), drugs, cephalalgia (head aches) and 'senile changes'
- 'Functional syndromes': Anxiety states, confusional states, depression, elation, hysteria, neurasthenia (nervous breakdown), obsessional states, paranoid, schizophrenic (psychotic behaviour). Anxiety, depression and hysteria being the most prevalent cases.
From 1939 on the onset of the Second World War, the Ministry of Health took over the hospital for the sole treatment of Ministry of Service (E.M.S.) servicemen and women patients suffering shell shock from active service. By 1945, 1705 Service patients had been treated at Woodside.
In 1948, upon the foundation of The National Health Service (NHS), Saint Luke's - Woodside Hospital became the psychological department of the Middlesex Hospital with a teaching as well as treatment role. The hospital came under the following administrative authorities:
Middlesex Hospital Management Committee (from 1948-1974) then North East Thames Regional Health Authority (1974-1982), then Bloomsbury District Health Authority (from 1982). In 1993 the hospital joined the newly formed Camden and Islington Community Health Services NHS Trust and in turn was managed from April 2002 by Camden and Islington Mental Health NHS Trust.
The Metropolitan Asylums Board opened the Grove Fever Hospital on a site in Tooting in 1899. The hospital treated patients with infectious diseases such as scarlet fever, diphtheria and enteric fever. During the First World War, it became the Grove Military Hospital with 550 beds, mainly treating soldiers with war injuries. Parts of the hospital were still designated for infectious diseases, tuberculosis and dermatology. In 1920, it returned to be a fever hospital with around 500 beds. In 1930, the London County Council took administrative control of the Hospital. During World War Two, as well as patients with infectious diseases, civilian air-raid casualties were admitted. The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948 under the control of the Wandsworth Hospital Group as the Grove Hospital. Soon after, the Ministry of Health decided to rebuild Saint George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner on the Grove and Fountain Hospital sites. The Ministry requested that 150 beds at Grove Hospital should be made available to Saint George's Hospital. At a similar time, 50 beds were also made available for patients from Saint James' Hospital in Balham which was temporarily closed for rebuilding. In 1953, the hospital became the responsibility of Saint George's Hospital. By 1958, it was renamed Saint George's Hospital, Tooting Branch.
The hospital has been administered by the following:
1899-1930: Metropolitan Asylums Board
1930-1948: London County Council
1948-1953: Wandsworth Hospital Teaching Group of South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board
1953-1958: Saint George's Hospital Teaching Group of South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
Saint George's Hospital opened in 1733 at Lanesborough House, Hyde Park Corner. It owes its existence to four men, Henry Hoare, William Wogan, Robert Witham and the Reverend Patrick Cockburn, who collectively founded the Westminster Public Infirmary in Petty France in 1720. The ever increasing needs of the sick forced the Westminster Public Infirmary to seek improved and enlarged premises. A disagreement between members of both the Governors and medical staff on the choice of building led to the founding of both Westminster Hospital in Castle Lane and Saint George's Hospital on Hyde Park Corner.
In 1735, Saint George's Hospital purchased the freehold of Lanesborough House, two adjoining houses and two acres of land. Under the direction of Isaac Ware of the Board of Works, the hospital was enlarged to accommodate 200 patients. By 1825 the hospital was falling into disrepair. A competition was held for the design of a new hospital. It was won by William Wilkins, and the new building was opened at Hyde Park Corner in 1829.
Since its foundation, Saint George's Hospital has been training medical students. In 1834, a medical school was established in Kinnerton Street and it was incorpotated into the hospital in 1868.
Just before the beginning of the Second World War, it was decided that Saint George's needed to be rebuilt on its Hyde Park Corner site. The plan was however abandoned by the commencement of hostilities. During the War, against a background of the population shift from central London, discussions took place which paved the way for Saint George's to be rebuilt and transferred out of the city centre.
With the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948, the hospital became part of the Saint George's Hospital Teaching Group of the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. Soon after, the Board of Governors persuaded Aneurin Bevan, the Minister of Health, that the new hospital should be built on the Grove Fever Hospital and Fountain Hospital sites in Tooting. Patients began to be admitted into the Grove Hospital in 1951 and, by 1953, the Grove Hospital was designated to Saint George's and responsibility for it was transferred from the Wandsworth Hospital Group to the Board of Governors of Saint George's. The Fountain Children's Hospital site adjacent to the Grove Hospital was added to the land available for the Saint George's Hospital redevelopment when the Fountain transferred to Queen Mary's Hospital, Carshalton. The building of the new Saint George's at Tooting began in 1973.
Following the reorganisation of the National Health Service in 1974, the Board of Governors was disbanded, and the responsibility for Saint George's Hospital was passed to the Wandsworth and Merton District of the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Area Health Authority. South West Thames Regional Health Authority assumed responsibility for the rebuilding of the new Saint George's. The first phase of the new Saint George's Hospital Medical School opened in 1976. Lanesborough Wing, the first of the ward blocks opened in 1980. The same year marked the closure of Saint George's Hospital at Hyde Park Corner.
In 1993, Saint George's Hospital came under the control of Saint George's Healthcare NHS Trust.
The hospital has been administered by the following:
1733-1948: Saint George's Hospital
1948-1974: Saint George's Hospital Teaching Group of South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board
1974-1982: Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Area Health Authority of South West Thames Regional Hospital Board
1982-1993: Wandsworth District Health Authority of South West Thames Regional Hospital Board
1993- : Saint George's Healthcare NHS Trust.
Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.
The Hackney Poor Law Union was formed in 1836, consisting of the parishes of Saint John Hackney and Stoke Newington. The parish of South Hornsey was added in 1900. A parish workhouse already existed on Homerton High Street, this was gradually replaced with new buildings and was much extended. After 1930 the building became Hackney Hospital. The Union also managed a Children's Receiving Home on Sidney Road, near the workhouse. In addition, the Union used the Brentwood School District industrial school at Brentwood in Essex. After the School District was dissolved in 1885 the Union took over the school. They also opened cottage homes in nearby Ongar.
Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.
The Ealing Provident Dispensary was established in 1869 at Minton Lodge on Mattock Lane, Ealing W13. In 1817 it was renamed Ealing Cottage Hospital and Provident Dispensary. In 1911 after the death of King Edward VII it was again renamed as the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Provident Dispensary. In 1933 it dropped the words Provident Dispensary to become the King Edward Memorial Hospital. The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948 and came under the administration of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board and the South West Middlesex Hospital Management Committee. In 1974 with NHS reorganisation it became part of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority and Ealing District Health Authority. The hospital was closed in 1979.
Early Commissioners of Sewers were solely concerned with land drainage and the prevention of flooding, not with the removal of sewage in the modern sense. In 1531 an Act of Sewers was passed which set out in great detail the duties and powers of Commissioners and governed their work until the 19th century. Gradually a permanent pattern emerged in the London area of seven commissions, five north and two south of the Thames, with, after the Great Fire, a separate commission for the City of London. The London commissioners had more extensive powers than those in other parts of the country; they had control over all watercourses and ditches within two miles of the City of London as well as newly constructed drains and sewers. After 1800 the London commissioners also obtained powers to control the formation of new sewers and house drains.
The jurisdiction of the Havering Level Commission of Sewers covered Ilford, East Ham, Havering, Dagenham, West Ham, Leyton, Walthamstow and Barking. A 'Level' in this context is a stretch of land approximately horizontal and unbroken by elevations.
Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.
The Kensington Poor Law Union was formed in 1837 and constituted the parishes of Chelsea, Fulham, Hammersmith, Kensington and Paddington. In 1841 the parish of Chelsea separated, followed in 1845 by the parishes of Fulham, Paddington and Hammersmith. A parish workhouse existed in Kensington from 1726. This workhouse was used by the Union until 1846, when a new workhouse was constructed on Marloes Road. A branch workhouse was also constructed at Mary Place, Notting Hill.
Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.
Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.
The Lambeth Poor Law Parish was formed in 1835, comprising just one parish, that of Saint Mary. Lambeth Parish had an existing workhouse on Princes Road (now Black Prince Road) which they continued to use. A new workhouse was constructed in 1871 on Renfrew Road. This workhouse briefly held the seven year old Charlie Chaplin along with his mother and elder brother. The workhouse later became Lambeth Hospital. The Union also managed an industrial school at Elder Road in Norwood.
Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.
In 1889 the Architect to the Metropolitan Board of Works was transferred to the newly formed London County Council, as the responsibilities of the MBW were being transferred to the LCC. This was later confirmed by the London Building Act 1894, in which the London County Council was given power to appoint a "superintending architect of metropolitan buildings" to oversee the enforcement of regulations outlined in the Act. Actual enforcement would be done by the District Surveyors, who had to make a monthly return to the Council reporting on any new buildings and any infringement of the Act.
The role of the Architect soon developed as the range of structures constructed under order of the Council grew. By 1909 there were 13 Committees dealing with construction works, and 35 sub-committees. The work included the construction of housing (under the Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890), including slum clearance; construction of buildings in connection with the introduction of electricity; construction of educational buildings, from nursery schools to colleges; construction of hospitals and institutions; construction of fire brigade stations; street and road improvements; maintenance and construction of bridges; public parks; Weights and Measures Stations and Gas Meter Testing Stations. The Architect was responsible for overseeing the design and construction of all these buildings.
During the Second World War the District Surveyors were made responsible for all rescue and demolition work on damaged and unsafe buildings, while the Architect's Department manned the control centres and depots of the Rescue Service, assumed responsibility for the provision of air raid shelters for the Council's staff, and ran the War Debris Service to deal with the work of clearing debris resulting from war damage. Training for the Rescue Service was provided at training schools organised and staffed by the department. When the heavy raids started in September 1940 the Rescue Service went into full operation. It was clear that the specialist knowledge of its members enabled them to foresee the behaviour of damaged buildings and to estimate the risks of rescue. By May 1941 the Service has rescued 10,000 live casualties, at the cost of the lives of 34 rescue officers. After 1941 the Service was renamed the Heavy Rescue Service and was brought into line with other civil defence services. Mobile parties of men with cranes and heavy plant were posted at civil defence centres. When flying bomb attacks began the Heavy Rescue Service rescued 7,175 people alive and recovered 2,329 bodies. 64 personnel were injured and 3 killed.
The London County Council delegated administrative matters to its committees, both standing committees and a number of special committees appointed for specific purposes. The committees met frequently, either weekly or fortnightly, while the Council met weekly. Committee reports requiring decision by the Council were dealt with weekly, and each committee reported to the Council every 6 months. In addition the Council also had representatives on many bodies such as industrial councils, school governing bodies and charitable foundations. For the purpose of carrying out the services of the Council, the staff is organised into departments, each of which is under the responsibility of a chief officer.
The Clerk of the Council was the chief administrative officer of the Council, acting as the clerk of the Council itself as well as the various committees. Additional important duties of the Clerk's Department included the maintenance of the library for members of the Council at City Hall, the preparation of general publications and the responsibility for general work including records.
Committees concerned with housing were:
Housing of the Working Classes Committee (1889-1891)
Public Health and Housing Committee (1891-1896)
Housing of the Working Classes Committee (1896-1920)
Housing Committee (1920-1934)
Housing and Public Health Committee (1934-1947)
Housing Committee (1947-1965).
The County of London Plan, published in 1943, designated various sites were as 'areas of comprehensive redevelopment', such as Poplar, Stepney, Bermondsey, Elephant and Castle and Knightsbridge Green. In these areas the Council wanted to achieve better living conditions by regrouping commerce and industry close to railways, canals and docks and providing schools, local shopping, entertainment, open spaces and other social services while maintaining a traditional sense of community. In other areas traffic problems would be addressed with new roads.
The Comptroller of the London County Council was responsible for the finances and accounts of the Council, and offered financial advice to the Committees.
The Comptrollers were:
1889: A Gunn (transferred from the Metropolitan Board of Works)
1893: Sir Harry Haward
1920: HW Stovold
1933: FG Bowers
1937: AR Wood
1949: G Miles
1956: F Holland
1964: WL Abernethy
The London County Council was required, as a local education authority, to make provision for nursery schools and nursery classes. In 1939 the Council maintained 5 nursery schools and gave assistance to 18 others maintained by voluntary organisations. By 1963 there were 25 LCC nurseries and 5 voluntary nurseries. The first nursery class in an infants' school was opened in 1936, by 1963 there were 183 nursery classes in infant and primary schools.
Fluctuations in the number of primary school age children in London have caused the Council administrative difficulties over time. In 1946 the number was 205,337, in 1954 283,064 and in 1963 227,849. The LCC development plan for new schools tried to take into account where schools would be needed. The size of classes was a subject of continual concern. An acute shortage of teachers made it difficult to reduce class sizes and in 1963 10.5 percent of classes were oversized according to Ministry of Education guidelines. The Council developed an education programme which expanded on the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic to include developing social activity and the desire for creative achievement. In 1963 the Council approved the provision of a new experimental primary school which would admit pupils from 3 years to 9 years of age, in order to experiment with reducing the anxiety of transition and transfer between three phases of education - nursery, infant and primary.
The Education Act, 1944, introduced secondary education for all children from the age of 11. A scheme became necessary for the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary schools. For the previous 40 years the Council had awarded scholarships tenable at secondary schools. From 1945 every child had to be considered individually for transfer to a secondary school appropriate to his ability and aptitude. The scheme adopted was based on three factors - parental choice, reports from primary school heads, and an examination known as the common entrance test. To assist heads in making their reports a standard record card was introduced in 1949 for recording each pupil's progress, ability and interests. In 1955 a new scheme for transfer was adopted. A test, now known as the Junior Leaving Examination, continued to be used, but more importance was placed on the advice given to parents by the head teacher. Each parent was asked to express an order of choice for 2 schools. Local advisory committees exercised supervision over the scheme and handled appeals from parents. The Junior Leaving Examination was abolished in 1964, replaced by a primary school profile for each pupil recording interests, abilities, attainments and characteristics.
The Council decided that comprehensive schools were the best means of providing secondary education for all, as they were open to children without need for an examination, offered a wide range of studies and promoted social unity among adolescents of all degrees of ability. The London School Plan provided for 64 comprehensive schools, although it was not possible to construct so many new buildings and many schools were opened in adapted older buildings. By 1964 there were 69 comprehensive schools in London. To supplement its secondary school provision the Council continued to reserve a number of places at independent and direct-grant grammar schools, and from 1946 onwards gave assistance towards boarding school educations.
For many years the Council directed its efforts towards the development and provision of a broad and liberal curriculum. A variety of courses to suit individual abilities, aptitudes and interests was introduced. Most schools offered at least one foreign language, some made a special feature of arts and crafts, music, or offering classes to prepare for technical education. Organised games were an essential part of the curriculum, leading the Council to purchase large tracts of land to provide playing fields. Activities outside school were also important, including school trips to places of interest and longer visits outside of London. Centres for rural studies were formed in Surrey, containing full classroom facilities. Cultural trips were also undertaken to the theatre, concert hall or museum.
The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.
Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.
The Council obtained powers in 1905 for registering agencies for domestic servants and agenices for theatrical performers. Since then the Council's powers were extended and applied to every kind of employment agency and related to fees and charges, the character of the applicant, and the conduct of the agency. With changing social conditions there was a change in the pattern of employment agency business, for example, the number of domestic staff agencies declined. By 1963 there were about 1,200 employment agencies in London. About 400 were theatrical, variety, concert, television, or film actor agencies; about 250 were clerical or secretarial agencies, and there were about 40 nurses agencies. About 200 applications were made each year for licences to start new employment agencies. Most of the applicants had no previous experience and few of the new businesses remained open for more than a year or two.
The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.
Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.
The purpose of the Shops Acts, replaced by the Shops Act in 1950, was not only to protect shop assistants but also, by regularising closing hours, to protect shopkeepers against each other. It was the Council's task to make the Acts known to shopkeepers, and to secure the observance of the provisions relating to closing hours, Sunday trading, shop assistants' meal times and holidays, and the hours of employment of young persons.
The question of an ambulance service for street accident cases was first debated by the Council in 1901 but it was not until 1905 that application was made to Parliament for powers to provide such a service. The Bill was rejected by a Committee of the House of Lords but a Metropolitan Ambulances Act was passed in 1909. This Act was permissive only and a long period of debate ensued as to whether the existing services provided by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, the Boards of Guardians and the Metropolitan Police were adequate. Finally, in March 1914, the Council decided to provide a street accident Ambulance Service which was placed under the command of the Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade. The first station was opened in February 1915 and, by October of that year, the service was in operation in all parts of the County.
On 1 April 1930, when the Council took over the functions of the Metropolitan Asylums Board and the Boards of Guardians it also took over their ambulance services. A unified London Ambulance Service under the supervision of the Medical Officer of Health was then formed from the combination of these services with the Accident Section previously administered by the Chief Officer of the London Fire Brigade.
The School Health Service developed from 1905. All schoolchildren were inspected by a medical officer at least four times during their school life. Medical and dental treatment was given at school treatment centres managed either directly or by voluntary committees financed by the Council. In addition many special clinics for children were held at London hospitals.
Following the coming into force of Section 13(1)(b) of the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907, the Council in 1909 circularised all suitable London hospitals, clinics and so on, asking for co-operation in the treatment of elementary school children for ringworm, defects of vision, teeth, ears, and so on. In areas where the existing provision was obviously insufficient the Council set up its own centres.
The Council inherited from the Metropolitan Board of Works the power under the Tramways Act, 1870 (which the Board had not in fact exercised) to construct tramways and lease them to operating companies and also to purchase at prescribed future dates the undertakings of the existing tramway companies (of which there were fourteen in 1889). Until the passing of the London County Tramways Act, 1896, the Council's powers did not extend to operating a tramway undertaking itself. The London Street Tramways Company's undertaking was the first to be purchased and released on a short-term basis in 1892 and the arbitration proceedings which ensued set the pattern for subsequent purchases.
When the undertaking of another of the companies, the London Tramways Company, which operated wholly South of the Thames, was purchased with effect from 1 January 1899, the Council decided to operate the system itself, appointing a General Manager of Tramways as the head of a new Department for this purpose and the direct management of other systems followed, as they were purchased or leases expired. Electrification powers were conferred by the London County Tramways (Electrical Power) Act 1900 and the first section of electrified line (running between Westminster Bridge and Tooting) was opened by the Prince of Wales of 15 May 1903. Electrification was completed by 1912, the large generating station at Greenwich being opened in two stages in 1906 and 1910.
The attempt of the Council to continue to operate the horse omnibus service between the south side of Westminster Bridge and Charing Cross which had been maintained by the London Tramways Company was frustrated by litigation and it was not until 1906 after much controversy that Parliament sanctioned the carrying of tramways over Westminster and other Thames bridges and along the Victoria Embankment. The Kingsway subway, designed to link the northern and southern systems was opened between Holborn and Aldwych in 1906 and extended to the Victoria Embankment in 1908.
The question of the financing of the undertaking and the form of accounts was the subject of considerable controversy at the 1907 L.C.C. elections which resulted in a change of party in the majority in the Council Chamber.
Under the London Passenger Transport Act 1933, the Council's tramway undertaking, the undertakings of the omnibus companies and the underground railways were transferred to the newly-created London Passenger Transport Board with effect from 1 July 1933.
The London County Council's housing work was administered by the Housing and Public Health Committee. The Valuer, with the Valuation Department, was responsible for the acquisition of property and maintenance and management of the Council's dwellings.
Charles Goad began his career in 1869 by working as a surveyor for Canadian Railway Companies. He saw the potential of drawing up plans of towns and villages that showed the construction of buildings in order to assist fire insurance companies. On returning to England he began publishing a similar series and also began similar series for parts of Europe, South Africa, the Middle East and the West Indies. His first London plan seems to have been published in 1885 and the last revisions were made in 1970 when the company ceased to produce fire insurance plans.
In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.
The National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to provide 'residential accommodation for persons who by reason of age, infirmity or any other circumstances are in need of care and attention which is not otherwise available to them'. The Council's policy was to provide establishments smaller in size and with a less spartan atmosphere than the old poor law institutions. However, the severe shortage of accommodation after the Second World War made this difficult and certain larger institutions were adapted for use, such as Luxborough Lodge, whichheld 1,200 residents. These larger homes were gradually phased out of use.
In addition to old people's homes, the Council provided mother and baby homes for assisting unmarried expectant and nursing mothers. With the postwar rise in unmarried mothers, the Council found it necessary to provide one home for mothers and babies where girls could stay for several weeks before and after confinement, an ante-natal unit and two mother-and-baby units, as well as a working mothers hostel.
Casual wards provided temporary board and lodging for vagrants. After the war they were replaced by reception centres. The Camberwell Reception Centre had accommodation for nearly 700 men. They were provided with food, a bed and washing facilities, and they were expected to help with domestic duties before leaving. Welfare officers of the Council and the National Assistance Board helped them to rehabilitate themselves and to find employment.
In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.
Rest centres were established during the Second World War to accommodate people made homeless by enemy bombing action until permanent accommodation could be found for them. After the war many families were in desperate need of shelter but accommodation was scarce. By March 1947 twelve rest centres were in operation to shelter families, including converted furniture stores, offices and staff quarters. By 1949 demand was such that it became necessary to restrict entry to mothers with children under sixteen; fathers, older children and childless couples were left to fend for themselves. In 1952 a night receiving unit was opened for families arriving in London at night from out of county who had made no arrangements for accommodation. In the morning they were urged to make other arrangements. In August 1953 the rest centres were discontinued. During their eight years of postwar operation they had taken in 5,700 families comprising 26,000 persons. The centres were replaced by half-way houses or short stay accommodation.
Wesleyan Methodists built a church at King Street, Camden Town, in 1824. In 1860 the King Street premises were sold to a Primitive Methodist congregation, and a new church was constructed at Camden Street. Following the union of Methodist churches in 1932 the congregations were united. The King Street church was renamed Plender Street Church and became the main church, while the Camden Street church became a mission hall and youth centre and were later demolished.
The Camden Street Wesleyan Methodist Church belonged to the Second London Circuit/Great Queen Street Circuit until around 1866, when it transferred to the Kentish Town Circuit. It then transferred to the London Central Mission Circuit in around 1887.
The King Street, Camden Town Primitive Methodist Church belonged to the Ninth London Circuit until around 1885, when it transferred to the Camden Town Circuit.
After the Methodist Church Union in 1932 both churches joined the Camden Town Circuit, though in practice this small circuit appears to have been administered as part of London Central Mission Circuit and was officially absorbed into the London Central Mission Circuit in 1956.
King's Cross Methodist Mission, Charlotte Street was also known as Charlotte Street Methodist Church. It was built by the Wesleyan Methodist Association in 1841. Charlotte Street was re-named Carnegie Street in 1938. The Church was destroyed by a land mine in 1941 but the congregation continued to meet at Liberal Hall, 314 Caledonian Road. The church was transferred from the Hackney Circuit to the Tottenham Circuit, then to the Caledonian Road Circuit and finally the London Central Mission Circuit in 1956. The Church was dissolved in 1960 and the members transferred to King's Cross Central Mission.
The Maidstone Street Methodist Church, Haggerston, was first used by Wesleyan Reformers in 1852. In 1896 the congregation moved to the Harbour Light Church on Goldsmith's Row, Haggerston. The Church joined the London Central Mission Circuit in 1940 but was forced to close after sustaining bomb damage in 1944. It reopened in 1946, and transferred to the London Mission (Hackney and Clapton) Circuit in 1960.
Herne Hill Methodist Church, Railton Road was in the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth in south London. It was not part of the London Central Mission Circuit. During the period covered by the records in this deposit it was part of the Brixton Circuit of the United Methodist Church.
In 1879, the Presbytery purchased and occupied church buildings (now called Saint Margaret) located in Putney Park Land, which had formed the private chapel of the Granard Estate. Putney United Reformed Church was therefore initially known as the Granard Presbyterian Church. This remained the place of worship until 1897 when the church moved to buildings on the corner of Briar Walk and Upper Richmond Road.
In 1941 a bomb destroyed all the halls and a third of the church. Rebuilding of the church and new halls was completed in 1957. In 1946 the church amalgamated with Wandsworth Presbyterian Church and became known as Putney and Wandsworth Presbyterian Church. In 1968 the spire was removed and the tower was capped off. At the same time, the manse which had stood next to the church was sold and replaced by a house in Fairdale Gardens.
In 1972 the church became known as Putney United Reformed Church following the union of the Congregational and Presbyterian denominations. The last service to be held took place in February 1996.
The Savoy Precinct was the site of the Savoy Hospital. It was an extra-parochial place which became constituted as a civil parish in 1866. It is now in the City of Westminster, on the corner of Savoy Street and Victoria Embankment.
Waterloo Bridge, designed by Rennie, was built by a private company which obtained an act of Parliament for that purpose in 1809. Work began in 1811 and the original intention was to use the name 'Strand Bridge'. The project was renamed 'Waterloo Bridge' in 1816, a year before it opened in 1817.
In 1878 it was acquired by the Metropolitan Board of Works and the existing tolls were abandoned. Structural defects were soon discovered and repaired, but in the 1920's, the bridge was declared unsafe. The London County Council replaced it with a design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott which was erected 1939-1944.
The Winchmore Hill Wesleyan Methodist Church is part of the Finsbury Circuit of the London North East Division. It originated in 1879 when Thomas Kelsey, a Congregationist and property developer moved to the area of Winchmore Hill (less than 10 miles from London) and built himself a house known as Highfield House. He had employed a missionary to hold meetings in the Congregational School Rooms in Hoppen Road for the benefit of the men employed in the construction and development of the Bowes Park and the Eaton Park Estates.
Thomas Kelsey offered the Finsbury Park Methodist Circuit a plot of land on the sole condition that a chapel was built there and regular services undertaken. This was subsequently agreed upon and on 30th November 1880, the stone laying took place.
The Chapel opened for worship in 1881 with services taken by the Reverend Charles Moore. The chapel was originally known as Eaton Park Wesleyan Chapel as it was situated some distance from both Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green.
By 1906 the area around the chapel was expanding rapidly giving support to the Methodist congregation. This development encouraged the Trustees to propose the building of a new chapel in front of the existing one. They began by establishing a new Trust in 1907 and a Building Fund to raise money. However, it was not until another 5 years in 1912 that the New church stone laying ceremony took place and on 28th September 1912 the church was officially opened and dedicated.
The Methodist Church in Britain is arranged into over 600 Circuits, which in turn are grouped into 32 Districts covering Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Each District is supervised by a District Synod. Circuits and missions in the London North East District include: London City Road, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Stoke Newington, Finsbury park and Southgate, Tottenham, Enfield, Waltham Abbey and Hertford, [Epping] Forest, Barking and Ilford, West Essex, Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Romford, Grays, Southend-on-sea, Leigh-on-sea, Basildon, Chelmsford, Colchester, Manningtree and Harwich, Clacton-on-Sea.
Hendon Urban District Council was formed in 1894. In 1932 the UDC became the Municipal Borough of Hendon. The municipal borough was abolished in 1965 and the area became part of the London Borough of Barnet. The responsibilities of both an urban district council and a municipal borough included safeguarding public health.
The Greater London Council (GLC) was established in 1963, replacing the London County Council (LCC) and various metropolitan boroughs. The LCC had been responsible for education, but the GLC was not. Therefore, the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was founded as the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs. The 20 outer London boroughs were responsible for education in their area. The GLC was abolished in 1986 but the ILEA was not abolished until 1990.
Wesleyan Methodists first met in 1886 in a house in College Road, Kensal Rise. A tin chapel opened in 1887 in Hiley Road, replaced by a brick chapel in 1900 at the corner of Chamberlayne Wood Road and Ladysmith Road (later Wrentham Avenue), near Kensal Rise railway station. Attendance in 1903 was 330 for morning service and 568 for evening service. The Chapel was sold to the Roman Catholic Church in 1977, although the Methodists continued to meet in an adjacent hall. In 2006 the hall hosted a temporary advice and support centre following a tornado strike on Chamberlayne Road.
From: 'Willesden: Protestant nonconformity', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 242-246.
The George Street Congregational Church was situated on London Road, Croydon. When the Congregational Church merged with the Presbyterian Church in 1972 it became the East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove.
In 1887 the Plaistow Congregational Church on Balaam Street built a mission hall in Southern Road. In 1943, the members of Balaam Street and Southern Road united with Greengate as Plaistow Congregational Church.
Plaistow Congregational Church, Balaam Street, originated in 1796 in a mission conducted by W. Newman, a Baptist minister from Bow. Regular meetings were held in private houses, and in the open air, until 1807, when a building was erected in North Street by a group of Independents and Baptists under Robert Marten, who was the leading layman until his death in 1839. A union church of the two denominations was constituted in 1812, with Henry Lacey (1812-1824) as minister. 'Marten and his religious crew' encountered local opposition and even violence in the early days, but their numbers grew. A day-school was opened (1844) and in 1860 a new church was built in Balaam Street. John Foster (1865-1869) was the church's only Baptist minister. In 1869 part of the congregation - probably the Baptists - apparently seceded with him to form a church in Upper Road, Plaistow, which soon disappeared. After this, Balaam Street seems to have had little or no Baptist connexions. Under Richard Partner (1888-1903) the membership increased rapidly as the area was built up, reaching 670 in 1902, by which time the church had been enlarged to accommodate 1,000. In 1887 a mission hall was built in Southern Road. After 1903 Balaam Street began to decline, though it remained fairly strong until 1939. During the Second World War the church was bombed, being finally abandoned in 1945 and later demolished. Meanwhile, in 1943, the members of Balaam Street and Southern Road united with Greengate as Plaistow Congregational church.
From: A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6 (1973), pp. 123-141.
Plashet Park Congregational Church, Chester Road, Forest Gate, was founded in 1884, in a room in Crescent Road. Meetings were subsequently held in the public hall, Green Street, from 1884 until 1887, when a two-storeyed building (later used for classrooms) was erected in Chester Road, during the temporary pastorate of E. T. Egg. An iron building was added in 1890, a permanent church in 1895, and an institute in 1914. In 1925 the iron hall was gutted by fire. Its site was sold to the borough council for a chest clinic, and in 1926 a new hall, fronting on Katherine Road, was opened. In 1941 the church was badly damaged by bombing. It was reconstructed and re-opened in 1952. For most of its history the church has had a settled minister. In its earlier years it was one of the stronger nonconformist churches in the district, and it was still flourishing in the 1920s, with a membership of over 300, and a Sunday school of 600. In 1972, when the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches merged, it became the Plashet Park United Reformed Church.
Source: A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6 (1973), pp. 31-38.
The Fulham Congregational Church was constructed between 1904 and 1906, on the corner of Fulham Palace Road and Harbord Street. In 1973 it joined the United Reformed Church at the merger of the Congregational and Presbyterian churches and was renamed the Fulham United Reformed Church.
The Presbyterian Church in Poplar was first situated on Manor Street, off the East India Road, and was called the 'East India Road Presbyterian Church'. In 1865 the church moved to former Baptist premises on Plimsoll Street, taking the name 'East India Road Presbyterian Church, Plimsoll Street'. The building was bombed in 1940. In 1954 the congregation voted to change the name of the church to 'Saint Columba's Presbyterian Church'. In 1963 the church united with the Trinity Congregational Church, situated on the same street, with the name Poplar United Church. The Presbyterian church building was demolished.
The Bromley-By-Bow Congregational Church on Bruce Road was founded in 1866. In 1972 it became a United Reformed Church when the Congregationalist and Presbyterian Churches merged. The church is closed and the building is now a community arts centre.
A lecture hall at the western end of Church Street, Enfield, was built in 1902 and used for Presbyterian services until 1907, when the church of Saint Paul was opened. The church, a ragstone building in the 13th-century Gothic style, was designed by William Wallace and was originally intended to have a spire. It could seat circa 500 in 1973. In 1972 it joined the United Reformed church on the merger of the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches.
From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 250-253.
Saint George's Presbyterian Church, Palmers Green, was constructed in Fox Lane in 1913, although the congregation had been meeting since 1909. In 1972 it amalgamated with the Congregational Church in Fox Lane to become the United Reformed Church. The building has now been replaced by a block of flats.
The West Kensington Congregational Church was situated on Castletown Road. It was founded in 1885. In 1972, when the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches merged, the West Kensington church joined the newly formed United Reformed Church.
Saint John's Presbyterian Church was situated on Scarsdale Villas, Kensington. It was founded in 1862. In 1930 the Emperor's Gate Presbyterian Church (which was formed when the South Kensington and Belgrave Presyterian Churches merged in 1922) merged with Saint John's.
In 1891 the Presbyterian Church of England acquired land at the corner of Ballards Lane and Redbourne Avenue, where a hall was opened in 1893 and registered in 1894. The church was registered in 1895. Called Saint Margaret's from 1932, the church joined with Church End Congregational Church in 1969 to form Union Church, Finchley Central; after the formation of the United Reformed church in 1972, it was known as Saint Margaret's United Reformed Church. The old Presbyterian church hall was still used by the united congregation in 1976 but was demolished in 1977.
From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 87-91.
Providence Congregational Church was formed in Uxbridge about 1777. Meetings were held in the 'George' until 1795 when the first meeting-house was built near the Lynch Green, in the garden of J. A. Glover, a wealthy merchant who largely financed the project. The land around the building was consecrated as a burial ground. The meeting-house was renovated about 1890 and again in 1902. By 1926 the congregation had increased to 319 members. After 1933, however, membership declined rapidly.
A mission organized by Providence Church was established in a community room in Peachey Lane, Cowley, in 1955 to serve the new council estate at Cowley Peachey. The adult work, however, was not a success, and no evening services were held after 1960. A Sunday school continued to meet in the community room until 1963 when all work in the building ceased. The children of Cowley nonconformists subsequently attended Sunday school in Uxbridge.
From the late 1950s discussion centred on plans for the amalgamation of the two Congregational churches in Uxbridge. They were finally united in 1962 as Uxbridge Congregational Church, which thenceforth worshipped in the former Old Meeting premises. In 1963 services were still occasionally held in Providence Church but soon afterwards the building became derelict and was demolished in 1969. It had a tall two-storied cement-rendered front with round-headed windows, pilasters, and a central pediment flanked by scrolls above the parapet.
From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 91-95.