Our story
|
As early as 1920 the Bishop of London founded a scheme called “The Bishop’s 45 Churches” with a view to looking to provide new churches for these new areas and in 1933-4 Stanmore was identified as needing a church. First of all it was agreed a Hall should be built and it was designated “St. Aidan, Belmont”. Three London Churches, St. Michael’s Chester Square, St. Mark’s North Audley Street and St. George’s Hanover Square undertook to raise money specifically for this project.
The new churches of course had to be staffed and the London Diocesan Home Missions Committee had the job of doing this. They interviewed many candidates for the position of 'Missioner' to the new church of St. Aidan in Belmont, rejecting some as “too old” (at 45 years ) or “too inexperienced” or just “unsuitable” but then the Revd. Francis Mettrick was interviewed and deemed “suitable” for appointment. Mr. Mettrick was in his third Curacy at Christchurch, Southgate when he applied for the new job. He was married with a young family and was probably in his 30s.
What a challenge this man had! There was no church – just a Church Hall being built. The parish was newly formed – partlly from Stanmore parish and partly from Harrow Weald parish and a marquee was erected on the site so that Sunday Services could take place: at the first service, we are told, there were 52 communicants in the morning, 23 children in the afternoon for Sunday School and 83 at Evensong. Mr Mettrick and his wife worked tirelessly to build up the congregations and visited all the new houses in the parish getting people to join in the life of the church. Very soon there were Guides and Brownies, Scouts and Cubs and a Youth Club and of course the choir was built up with boys, men and women. Money was needed of course and there were lots of ideas for fund raising. Leaders came forward to run classes at Sunday School, and to run the youth organisations and the PCC worked well keeping the people abreast of the building plans and future development.
In July 1935 the foundation stone was laid for the Church Hall which was known as St. Aidan’s Church and subsequently the Hall was built and housed the church until St. Anselm’s Church was built. By the time the foundation stone was laid in 1940, the country was at War and new building was stopped. However, because St. Anselm’s Davies Street had closed, the building of St. Anselm’s Belmont was allowed to continue using much of the bricks and materials from the Davies Street church (and some originally from the Hanover Chapel.).
Mr. Mettrick left a thriving parish in 1951 to become Rector of Bow in East London. Subsequent incumbents have each responded in their own way to God’s calling, bringing their own talents and style of leadership to the church and God’s work has continued at here St. Anselm’s both through the leaders and the people of the parish, some of whom are still worshipping here 70 years later.
Vicars of St Anselm Belmont
1940 – 1951 Revd Francis Mettrick
1952 – 1961 Revd Kenneth T. Toole-Mackson
1961 – 1967 Revd Stanley Spencer 1967 – 1978 Revd John York Raffles Tucker 1978 - 1985 Revd Phillip Edge
1986 – 1992 Revd Michael Barton Tingle
1993 – 2003 Revd W. Martin Davies
2004 – 2009 Revd Ian Brady
2010 - Revd Christine Robinson |
The Foundation Stone for the Church of St. Anselm, Belmont was laid on 21st April, 1940 but God’s Plan for this church goes back a long time before that – perhaps even back to 1824 when the Hanover Chapel was built in Regent Street for the fashionable Londoners of that time. The changing life of London meant the Chapel only had a life of 70 years and a new Church was built in Davies Street and was named St. Anselm’s. Unfortunately this new church only lasted about 40 years due to the declining population in central London. Londoners were looking to the leafy suburbs to relocate and start a new life. Stanmore, consisting then of open fields, farms and country lanes, was one of the areas that was being developed.
During the War St. Anselm’s was a beacon of hope for the people living round about: in spite of devastation from bombs in the area, the church continued to grow and it escaped serious damage.