An Old Church in Crofton Park

St Saviour's church at Brockley Rise is celebrating 160 years of service to the community.

Postcard showing the original church, which was consecrated in 1866.

St Saviour’s, one of the oldest buildings in Crofton Park, is celebrating its 160^th anniversary this year.

   In the second half of the 19th century the rapid growth of the railways brought previously rural areas on the outskirts of London into the expanding capital, and Brockley and Forest Hill were no exception.

   To meet the religious needs of local people, it was proposed that a new Anglican church be built on land to the north of Stanstead Road, above Brockley Rise. This was known locally as "The Freehold," as it belonged to the National Freehold Land Society. This first proposed site was at the summit of what is now the private park between Lowther and Duncombe Hills. This idea threw up several problems, chiefly the accessibility to parishioners of a church at the top of a steep hill, and the extra cost of hauling heavy building materials up the hill on the the local mud roads.

In the event, another local landowner, Edward Eliot, the third Earl of St. Germans, donated the land upon which the church stands. Lord Eliot laid the foundation stone on October 30th 1865; the first phase of the church was erected in 1865-6, the architect being Mr. W. Smith.

   The demand for a place to worship was such that the new church was consecrated in May 1866 by the Bishop of Ely on behalf of the Bishop of London, when only this first phase had been erected. This hasty building work, added to a lack of money in what was a poor area, led to problems; the stonework soon began to deteriorate and difficulties with the fabric of the building became a recurring theme.

   A second-hand corrugated iron shed, to be used as the parish room and Sunday School, was bought in 1866, and put up at the same time as the church on a site originally planned for the vicarage. The shed was guaranteed for seven years — but it lasted until 1907!

   In 1903, the Daily News, a popular Quaker newspaper, carried out an extensive census of churchgoing in London. It was created by Richard Mudie-Smith, a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, who was on the staff of the paper. St Saviour’s was one of 29 Anglican churches in Lewisham at this time. The census records a total of 577 people attending its morning and evening service. Some may have been counted twice, if they went to both services, but even so, it does show that the church had a substantial congregation: the enumerators counted 141 men, 239 women and 197 children.

   The following year, planning began for a new Sunday School in the new brick church hall, which was completed in 1914. Part of the old Sunday School site was sold and a scout hut was built on the remainder in 1928.

  When the first part of the building was consecrated, the west wall was only a temporary structure, and, after many repairs to the foundations, it was condemned as dangerous. In 1926, an extra bay was added, with a new entrance porch to complete the church at a cost of £6,000. In February 1928, the Bishop of Southwark consecrated the extension and the church was at last complete.

    However, during WW2, at 2:35am on 10 September 1940, St Saviour's was hit during an air raid over Forest Hill. The south aisle of the church was completely wrecked, including the war

memorial chapel; the chancel was severely damaged, the organ and virtually half the hall destroyed. Only the north aisle remained intact. By May 1941 the main structure has been made safe, and repairs made to the windows; by November the north aisle had been restored into a temporary church to seat 120.

   The 1948 plan for the new church saw rebuilding on a smaller scale. seating about 350 people. The church received money from the War Damage Commission, and the congregation raised £2,000. Following its reconstruction and renovation, the church was reconsecrated by the Bishop of Southwark on May 8, 1952.

St. Saviour’s has several memorials to parishioners who died in the two world wars, including one of one of the most beautiful private local war memorials (above). It commemorates Frederick Luffingham, who lived at 215 Stanstead Road, and who died at Gallipoli in WW1. The church also has a memorial book, with the names of 127 servicemen who died in WW1; 27 servicemen and unusually six civilians who died in WW2.

  Over the past 160 years, there have been many changes in the local landscape. When building began in the 1860s, much of the surrounding area was still fields and farms. Soon they were covered over by streets and housing.

Today, led by Father David Vyvyan, St Saviour's continues to be a vital part of the community, as an inclusive church welcoming everyone.

 It is celebrating its birthday with a range of events including a special Eucharist on Friday 8th May, at 7pm, a concert on Saturday 9th, and a family picnic on Sunday 10th May

 Find out more here: https://www.stsaviourschurchbrockleyrise.org