History of St. Andrew's
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The ground before the new church was buiilt |
The wooden hut that served as a church and church hall, and as the hall for a short while after the new church was built. |
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Recent picture of the new church |
The nave in the new church c. 1956 |
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Apart from a few houses in the West Heath Road area,
the Bostall district in 1930 consisted entirely of fields and orchards. That
year the building of the new housing estates began, and between then and the
outbreak of World War II in 1939 the entire district was built over by a
network of new roads and houses. In those days the provision of public
amenities of any kind generally lagged far behind the housing developments, but
in 1934 a plot of land which included a small pond and allotments at the
junction of Abbotts Walk and Brampton Road was acquired as the future site of a
church.
The Diocesan Board of Finance had paid the £950 required to purchase the site, but it was estimated that a further £500 would be needed for a suitable building. Collecting boxes, whist drives and private donations were soon all employed in the raising of funds. Since there was already a church in a neighbouring parish dedicated to St. Mary, the Archdeacon suggested a change of name, and on 10th September 1935 the committee considered three alternatives - St. Andrew, St. Bartholomew or St. George. The Bishop and the vicar of All Saints' preferred the first of these, and thereafter the church was known at St. Andrew's, Bostall Heath The wooden building was completed by the end of October 1935, and dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester on Saturday 7th December 1935. Despite a dense fog, there was a large attendance. In his address at the dedication service the Bishop envisaged the new building being used for recreation and the discussion of local affairs as well as for worship. To facilitate this the "church furnishings" had to be packed away every , Sunday, and Guides, Brownies, a ladies' sewing meeting and a keep fit class were soon sharing the hall. A Sunday School was opened on 11 th December when 51 children attended and the first evening service was held on 5th January 1936. The committee drew up rules and a scale of charges for the hire of the hall by organisations and private persons. Despite a loan of £250 and gifts which included £150 from the Bishop's fund, £200 still remained to be raised by the parishioners < The young church soon received a setback with the outbreak of war in 1939. The Bostall area suffered heavily in the air raids, scarcely a house escaping damage, many on several occasions, and the church was no exception. The congregation for evensong was sometimes reduced to three neighbours who could reach home quickly in the event of a raid. For a brief period during the war, St. Andrew's was transferred to the care of St. Peter's, Pickford Lane, whose priest arrived to inspect his new charge the morning after a nearby bomb had smashed its windows. For a time the church was unusable, and services were transferred to a room in Bedonwell School. Fortunately since the building was also used as a hall for the Home Guard and other wartime organisations, it was always possible to have damage repaired. With the return of peace in 1945 the church began to prosper once again, and the congregation increased.Confirmation classes were begun for both adults and young people. The desire for a separate church building at St. I Andrew's was reinforced by an interregnum between vicars at All Saints, to whose aegis St. Andrew's had returned. The Bishop was sympathetic to the idea, and as there was also a need for a new hall at All Saints, a joint, All Saints and St. Andrew's building appeal (ASSABA) was launched.
Money for a new church roof was raised by yet another appeal, the St. Andrew's Church Roof Appeal (SACRA). The main body of the church was re- roofed with metal cladding and redecorated within during 1973. The question of St. Andrew's becoming a separate parish had always been kept in mind, and the matter was raised again at the 1982 annual general meeting. The people of St. Andrew's felt that progress in the church's mission would only be maintained and recognised in the community if it became a parish church with a permanent incumbent of its own. A joint meeting of the congregations of St. Andrew's and All Saints, attended by the Archdeacon of Bromley, was held on 12th October that year, at which it was decided to set up a working party to assess the merits and problems involved in separation. The working party reported in favour of separate parishes, and also recommended an adjustment of the parish and diocesan boundary to transfer part of the parish of St. Michael, East Wickham, which extended to Brampton Road immediately opposite the church, to St. ,Andrew's. After due consideration by the church authorities, and consultation with all the parties involved, it was resolved to set up a new parish to be called "The Benefice and Parish of Bostall Heath, St. Andrew". And so on 1st August 1984, St. Andrew's achieved the status of an independent parish, with its own Parish Church Council and churchwardens, and on 29th November, the Revd. Malcolm Gribble was inducted by the Bishop as its first Vicar. The new parish embraced about six-and-a-half thousand people within its boundaries. During 1985 the chancel was rearranged and refurbished, with new choir stalls and a new altar in a forward position, the completed work being dedicated by the Archdeacon of Bromley on 29th September. It also became necessary to protect the main west door by a more substantial porch, and once again the congregation were called upon to raise the necessary funds. New lighting was also provided for the church, and the new porch and lights were dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester on 7th December 1989 St Andrew's church and its hall provide a well-established focal point for the spiritual and social life of the Bostall area. In addition to maintaining regular worship, the church embraces prayer groups, Bible study groups, and other house groups. St. Andrew's has a fine nineteenth century chamber organ, and a choir which is affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music. Attached to the church are Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts, who attend church parade services, and Christian fellowship is provided by a variety of social activities. The congregation supports many outside charities, this work being organised by the Charities Committee which grew out of the original Missionary Action Group. In the days of apartheid, this group raised the entire sum needed to build a modest parish church in the Transkei in South Africa, which was also dedicated to St. Andrew. Our well-appointed hall, is in regular use' for functions and social activities of many kinds, and in 2001 the western end of the hall was adapted to accommodate the parish office. |
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