St Paul's Church Centre

Pre 1976

St Paul’s Church was designed by the architect James W Higgins and opened in 1839 to serve and minister in North Marylebone. The market on Church Street had just been opened and over the following decades more and more people were crammed into the ward, prompting Octavia Hill in 1865 to begin her groundbreaking housing reform work.

In 1899 Marylebone Station was opened and, in the aftermath of the First World War, much of the poor housing was torn down for the ‘Homes for Heroes’ rebuilding effort. The Second World War brought heavy bombing to the area, and the ensuing reconstruction again saw both the housing standards and the population increase.

During the 1960s church membership began to fall and eventually the church was shut in 1976. This situation remained for ten years, forcing local Christians to cross six lanes of busy traffic on the Marylebone Road to reach their nearest place of worship. This put great strain on the community, which had always felt more like a village than simply an area of London. During the same period the Lisson Green Estate was completed, expanding the local population.

Modern Era

In the early 1980s, local team vicar the Revd Jack Maple, alongside parishioners, felt that something needed to change. Christians in the area had spent several years without a church in the community. They saw the huge need and potential for the now derelict St Paul’s and campaigned for it to be reopened as a focal point for the community. The vision was, and still is, to create a place of creative, supportive partnership between the Church and the wider community.

Major reconstruction work was needed to transform the original Victorian church into a modern, usable space for both community use and for worship. The pews were removed and a new floor laid in the main space, where chairs could be arranged freely for services and other large meetings. The galleries were sectioned off to create spaces for small groups to meet, and modern kitchens and toilets were built. The building was transformed into both a church and a community centre, open seven days a week, complete with a small chapel which is always open for prayer. Much of the funds were raised through the generous support of the Church Urban Fund.

In 1986 the St Paul’s Church Centre regained parish status. In 1990 a development worker was appointed to support user groups in meeting the needs of the local community. The rearrangement of the galleries was completed in 1992 whereupon NEWPIN (the new parent and infant network) was founded at the centre. in 2000 the Revd Graham Buckle was appointed the Rector. His arrival has heralded a new era in the church and centre which has included the development of links with the local school, Christ Church Bentinck Primary School, the continuation of relationships with local community management organisations and exciting new expressions of what it means to be a worshipping community including Pub Church, Faith and Film Nights and Sacred Space.

Week by week the Community Centre provides an oasis of peace and quiet amongst the hubbub of a busy part of London. Recently a new community development worker, Betty Muspratt has been appointed to build our fundraising programme and to cement our links with the local community. We hope to attract new groups and organisations that we may collaborate with in our vision of service to this area and of improving relationships within the community including among those of different faiths.

But we don’t stop there. There are many dreams in the pipeline, starting with the refurbishment of the toilets and it has been suggested that a mezzanine floor be built within the main centre space to create a second floor, increasing the scope which St Paul’s Centre provides.

The future of St Paul’s Church Centre is by no means set in stone, and we very much look forward to seeing what the next twenty years will bring.