St Mary Magdalene - Past, present and future

Saturday was Celebration Day at St Mary's Church. Myself, Dominic and Althea joined members of the church, past and present and the Bishop of Woolwich to celebrate the history of the church and to look to the future.

The original church was built in 1841, but was destroyed by a bomb in September 1941.

The congregation moved to their daughter church of St Pauls in Harders Rd until the new (current) building was ready in November 1962.

Sadly the new building, although of a very striking 1960s design, has not stood the test of time. It is boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter and roof leaks badly. After years of searching for solutions the PPC decided that the only way forward was a brand new building.

Over the last few years Dominic, Althea and I have helped them to navigate through the planning system and I was delighted to hear on Saturday that they have met their fundraising targets and expect work to begin in January. They hope to be in their brand new church and community centre by Easter 2011.