History

The East Ham team came into being in 1968 and originally included St Alban's Upton Park, St Bartholomew's, St Mary Magdalene and St Mark's Beckton, plus the Church Army captain from the Hartley Centre. Today the team consists of St Alban's, St Bartholomew's and St Mary's - the Hartley Centre is no longer a church building and is used by the local community, and with the redevelopment of the Beckton area St Mark's now has it's own Church and centre.

East Ham was, until the late 19th century a rural area, but with the advance of the railways and the growth of the docks, there was a real population explosion. West Ham tended to be more industrialised and grew rapidly from 1830 onwards, but by the 1860s, East Ham was catching up. East Ham was more residential and today much of the housing is made up of late Victorian and early Edwardian terraced house. As a result of the population growth the original parish church of St Mary Magdalene, whilst still in regular use was felt to be in need of help. St Albans was built in Wakefield Rd, closely followed by St John the Baptist in the centre of East Ham.

St John's was built in 1861 and seated 400 people, but by 1879 it was clear a further church was required. The then vicar of St Mary's commissioned a report on the older church, and stated that he felt large churches should be built for the growing population. His successor, John Ware, tackled the idea of a new church with enthusiasm, and in 1910 a new church, St Bartholomew's was consecrated. It could seat 1200 and had around 700 regular worshippers. St Johns was demolished and the money used to provide a hall for St Mary's. All that remains of St John's now is the street name, the road leading to the car park opposite St Bartholomew's. When Reverend Ware died in 1907, at the early age of 43, the south aisle of the church was completed in his name, although the whole building came to be known as the Ware Memorial.

The building, which stood on the site of the current church and centre, was enormous, and along with the Town Hall was a dominating feature for the area. It was bombed in 1941, and the incendiaries in the roof damaged the whole building. There is a picture of a couple getting married in the ruins the day after the damage and this came to represent the spirit of the East End. The bell from the church landed in the vicar's garden and was never rehung. It is now outside the Froud Centre (St Michael and All Angels) in Manor Park. The congregation worshipped in Fellowship House, the large Georgian house behind the church. This building, which was the rectory, continued to be used until the church was rebuilt. The rebuilding included work by local firms and members of the congregation, but even as it was reconsecrated in 1953, thoughts were turning to the future. The building had never been used to full capacity on a regular basis, and the population was changing again, with people moving out to the suburbs and church attendance across the country declining.

The same was true for St Albans, which was the first church in the area to decide to create a church and community centre based on its old hall. The original church was an iron structure built in 1887, and a brick building was started in 1903. The Lady Chapel and vestries were completed in 1934, but the building was damaged by bombs in 1940 and repaired in 1949. The church was demolished in the 1950s, when part of the roof was found to be unsafe, and flats now stand on the site. The hall is regularly let and continues to be used both for community use and for worship.

The cost of maintaining St Bartholomew's was considered to be prohibitive, and in 1974 the advice was to demolish and rebuild a smaller church more in keeping with current needs. After considering using the original building, but with major changes, the decision was taken to demolish and rebuild. The building was to be a resource for the whole community - 'The People's Church,' and the site was rebuilt as a church with community centre, doctor's surgery, and 23 residential flats for older people. At the same time the old rectory was also redesigned to include a nursery, further accommodation and offices, and a new rectory, adjacent to the new centre included in the redesign.

The complex was built to be flexible, unlike its predecessor, so that it could reflect the changes in the use of the building, and there is a removable partition at the back of the church, which enables it to be enlarged for special occasions and divided into further community space at others.

The font and some of the wall plaques from the old church were moved to the current building, but most of the original fittings were not thought suitable for a modern building. The opportunity was taken to create new pieces of art, most notably the bronze on the front wall, which depicts the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The statue symbolises the spirit of togetherness and caring which is the essence of St Bartholomew's. The altar frontal in the Lady Chapel was designed and sewn by a number of the congregation to show various aspects of the local history, including both the old St Bartholomew's and the new. In 2000, the Sunday Club, our club for young people led on producing the Millennium train. This large work of art, which now hangs in the church, shows aspects of the parish history over the last 1000 years. Our current project is to provide a brick cross on the flank wall, after the previous free standing cross was removed.

The church is currently part of the deanery of Newham, within the Diocese of Chelmsford. The latter, which is now one of the largest dioceses in the country, was only created in 1914 as a result of the rapid growth in housing in east London and Essex. Before that East Ham was part of the St Albans diocese from 1877 to 1914; briefly part of the diocese of Rochester between 1867 and 1877, and originally part of the diocese of London, which it now adjoins.