Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Saint Faith District was established on 29 September 1880 under the Diocese of Rochester. In February 1881, an old school room in Warple Way was converted into the Saint Faith District Mission Church of Saint Cecilia. It offered parishioners a wide range of social and religious activities. Baptisms from November 1880 onwards were recorded in a register titled 'Saint Faith Parish, Wandsworth' by Reverend R Taylor, later vicar of Saint Faith church. The mission house, adjoining the church was known as Saint Faith Mission House.
The mission church served the district's growing population of over 7,400, but had capacity for only 325 people. A site for a new church, Saint Faith, was purchased for £1500 and donations and subscriptions were sought for its construction. Saint Faith church was consecrated on All Saints Day [November] 1883 and included stained glass panels by William Morris. In July 1884 'The Consolidated Chapelry of Saint Faith Wandsworth' was formed through unification of parts of the adjoining parishes of Saint Anne Wandsworth (P95/ANN) and Saint John Battersea.
In 1905 Saint Faith changed jurisdiction when the Diocese of Rochester was taken over by the Diocese of Southwark.
In 1967 a Christian Service Centre, based at 15 Alma Road, was formed as a collaborative initiative of several Christian denominations led by Saint Faith. The Centre operated for a number of years before becoming a Mission Centre with the involvement of the Community of the Glorious Ascension (CGA brothers and sisters, Anglican nuns and monks) in 1972. Working nuns from this order later became involved in the management and teaching at Saint Faith school.
Parochial Church Council minutes demonstrate that plans to demolish the original church building and build a new church complex were in place as early as the 1960s. In 1968, the church tower was demolished due to structural problems. However, it was only in 1974 that the original church building was declared redundant and was demolished in preparation for construction of a new church and school complex. The organ and various artefacts were rescued prior to demolition and distributed or sold to other parishes and organisations (see P95/FAI/G/02). The original William Morris glass panels were rescued by parishioners and stored locally until the construction of the new building. Some of the panels were later re-used in the new church (see P95/FAI/E/01/11/005).
Saint Faith church and school continued to function in temporary accommodation over the following years while the new project was being planned and developed. The collection includes proposed plans from two architects' practices, Thomas F. Ford and Partners and Robert Maguire and Keith Murray, as well as the final plans by Hans Haenlein Associates, who were eventually entrusted with the project (see P95/FAI/E/01/05/). The new Saint Faith complex was dedicated on The Feast of Saint George the Martyr, 23 April 1988.
Saint Faith is now a parish within the Diocese of Southwark, Kingston Episcopal Area, Wandsworth Archdeaconry, Deanery of Wandsworth.