St Luke's Church, Kew
| St Luke's Church, Kew | |
|---|---|
| Kew St. Luke | |
Gothic Revival | |
| Years built | 1889; redesigned 1983 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Southwark |
| Archdeaconry | Wandsworth |
| Deanery | Richmond & Barnes |
| Parish | Kew, St Luke[1] |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Christopher Chessun |
| Vicar(s) | Rev Dr Melanie Harrington |
| Archdeacon | John Kiddle |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Richard Austen Michael Tonkin |
| Churchwarden(s) | Irene Stephens and Laura Coughtrie |
| Parish administrator | Guinevere Duff and Irene Stephens |
St Luke's Church, Kew, is a
Communications
The parish publishes a magazine, The Link.[6]
History
Kew's population increased considerably when the District line was extended to Richmond and a railway station was opened at Kew Gardens. To meet the needs of the extended parish, a temporary "iron church" (later Victoria & St John's Working Men's Club) was opened in Sandycombe Road. St Luke's Church, in The Avenue, was built to replace it, in 1889.[7]
The large Victorian church could seat a congregation of 400, built in irregularly coursed sandstone with a large towerless nave and a chancel of equal height.[8] The initial design also included a spire that was never built. [7] The population of Kew was increasing at this time, brought about partly by the extension of the London and South Western Railway to Kew and Richmond, and St Luke's was built in anticipation of a growing population and growing congregation, although it is doubtful whether it ever regularly enjoyed full congregations. By the 1970s, the congregation had dwindled (sometimes to just as few as 12), and there were frequent complaints of the church being uncomfortable and cold. In the late 1970s, ambitious plans to turn the church in to a secular day centre for the elderly, with a much-reduced area for worship were drawn up, £600,000 was budgeted for the conversion, and the church hall was sold for £50,000 with the proceeds going towards the cost of the work. The work was carried out in two phases, phase 1 from 1984-1985, and phase two in 1989. The upstairs room, which opened in 1990, was opened by HRH Princes Alexandra, after whom it was named.[9] The works reduced the church area to just the former chancel and aisles, with the rest of the building given to secular uses, occupied by the Kew Community Trust, which leases the premises from the parochial church council. [5][10][11] [12] This portion of the building is known as 'The Avenue Halls', and can be hired for adult or children’s parties, weddings and other celebrations.
A rebuilt and restored Walker pipe organ (1880) was installed in 1999, originally built for the Brentford Free Church. [13] [14] The church originally had an organ by Henry Willis from 1897. [15]
Former
Other uses
The community spaces in the building are currently occupied by the Kew Community Trust. The core activity of the Trust is the Avenue Club, a
Gallery
-
South porch -
The chancel
See also
References
- ^ "Kew: St Luke". The Diocese of Southwark. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Our Member Churches". Churches Together in Kew. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to new clergy Feb 2021". Richmond and Barnes Deanery. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ISBN 0-14-0710-47-7.
- ^ a b c Michael Lowe (March 2017). "Kew Community Trust and the Avenue Club. How we made it to here…..and where next?". Avenue Cub, Kew. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ "The Link". The Kew Parishes of St Luke's and The Barn. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ ISBN 0-85033-923-5.
- ^ https://southwark.anglican.org/church/kew-st-luke/
- ^ https://www.kewcommunitytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Avenue-Booklet-V2.pdf
- ^ Stephen Craven (2009). "St Luke's Church, Kew – chancel". Geograph Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ "About Us". St Luke's Church, Kew. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ https://www.stlukeskew.org/about_us
- ^ https://southwark.anglican.org/church/kew-st-luke/
- ^ https://npor.org.uk/survey/E00815
- ^ https://npor.org.uk/survey/N13771
- ^ "Obituary: The Rev Lord Beaumont of Whitley". The Daily Telegraph. London. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ^ "Avenue Club, Kew". Avenue Club, Kew. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
