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 History of St Andrew's Church

 

 

 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laying the foundation stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consercration of the ground in 1934

The first meeting regarding the proposed church was held on 28th June 1934 in a house in Burcharbro' Road, under the chairmanship of the Vicar of All Saints, Belvedere, in whose parish the site was. At that time it was proposed that the church should be dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin.The first act of worship was an open-air service held on the site on 22nd July 1934, conducted by the Vicar of All Saints', and addressed by the Archdeacon of Rochester, and the singing was accompanied by Callender's Band. When consideration was given to the erection of the building, it was decided to provide one which would serve as both church and hall.

The residents of Bostall again contributed magnificently and the d foundation stone for the new church was laid by Miss Hawes, a devoted local parishioner, on 12th July 1956. A parsonage house was built next to the church. Appropriately for a dedication to St. Andrew, a fisherman and the first missionary, the design of the new church was reminiscent of an upturned boat.

The completed building was dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester on 20th April 1957,and many members of the congregation made gifts of furnishings for the church. The present font and lectern were made by I students of Erith Technical College in 1964. The first Priest-in-charge at St. Andrew's was Revd. Peter Absolon, who was followed by a succession of equally able and devoted priests, each of whom made a memorable contribution to the growth of the church.

 

 It was always envisaged by the founding fathers that St. Andrew's would eventually become a separate parish, and as a first step towards this, it was resolved in March 1958 to set up a separate committee to deal with those matters of governance and finance which had hitherto been the province of All Saints parish council.

Since then St. Andrew's operated independently,with its own electoral roll committee, finances, and from 1962 sub wardens. Meanwhile the wooden building continued in use as a hall for the Scouts, Guides, and other local organisations. The ageing structure grew increasingly in need of expensive repairs however, and in 1966 the church committee decided it was necessary to replace it with a permanent and purpose-designed church hall. Tentative plans for a two-storey building were discarded as it overshadowed the neighbouring bungalows and the church itself The final design by Mr Keith Bush, himself a member of the church, provided for the main hall parallel with the church but joined to it, so that the service areas and kitchen could be reached under cover from either. It was also thought necessary to replace the covering of the church roof with a more durable material than that originally provided.

Once again it was necessary to appeal for funds, and in 1967 the St. Andrew's Hall Rebuilding Appeal (SAHARA) was launched, and house collections in the district started the following year. The Diocesan Board of Finance gave £6,000 and lent another £6,000. The old hall was demolished in June 1969, and work immediately began on the new.

The main frames were erected by a specialist contractor, but most of the work was done by volunteer labour by the parishioners, and continued summer and winter for the next two years. The north windows of the hall were erected by electric light during a snowstorm. Altogether over 20,000 manhours of voluntary work were provided by local people, and the completed hall was dedicated by the Bishop of Rochester on 29th April 1972.

 

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.

 

 

The Above is an extract from "Bostall Heath, Church and Community"

 

Written by John A Prichard

©

John has given his kind permission for this to be used on the website.

The full book can be purchased from St Andrews parish office.

 

 

 

 

THE CLERGY OF ST ANDREW'S  

Priests-in-charge

Peter Chambers Absolon

Reginald Alfred Lorenz Dunkley

Brian Leonard Birchmore

Auther Guy Ross Wilson

Peter James Shepherd

John Martin Cleaver

Alan Thomas Vousden

Robert James Middlewick

Vicars

Malcolm George Gribble

1984-1990

Stephen Clive Varney

1991-1999

Susan Shooter

2000-

The first church

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 11th 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.

 

    

 

      SOME FORMER ST. ANDREW’S CLERGY

1956-1960

1960-1964

1964-1966

1966-1970

1970-1971

1971-1976

1976-1980

1981-1984