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Churches of the British Isles

Gallery: Churches of East London

by Peter Kessler, 15 February 2025

Newham Part 18: Churches of Manor Park & Little Ilford

East Ham, Manor Park, & Ilford District Synagogue, Carlylye Road, Little Ilford, Newham, London

East Ham, Manor Park, & Ilford District Synagogue on the south side of Carlyle Road, was in the Little Ilford & Manor Park area of Newham. It was consecrated in 1900, becoming associated with the United Synagogue in 1902. It was rebuilt in 1927 (the brick building on the right here). In 1947 an adjoining building (the former St Saviour's Episcopal Church - see below) was bought for use as a youth centre. By 2009 the combined complex was a Hindu community centre.

St Saviour's Reformed Episcopal Church, Carlyle Road, Little Ilford, Newham, London

St Saviour's Reformed Episcopal Church, Carlyle Road, was constructed in 1894-1895, possibly to replace an iron church which had been erected on the same road about two years before. It was one of Manor Park's two Reformed Episcopal churches in 1894. Christ Church, Carlyle Road, was registered in 1903 with a new building façade, probably a successor to St Saviour's. It survived until 1905 when its premises were taken over by the Salvation Army until 1920.

Rehoboth Church Strict Baptist Church, Little Ilford, Newham, London

Rehoboth Church is on the east side of High Street North in Manor Park, under a hundred metres south of the Romford Road junction. This was built by Strict Baptists in 1907. The congregation traced its origins to 1830, arriving here from Rehoboth, Wellesley Street in Stepney via temporary rooms in Romford Road before funding this building from the sale of the old one. A new schoolroom was added in 1928 but the church closed after 1973 and is now a community centre.

Little Ilford Chapel (Congregational), Greenhill Grove, Little Ilford, Newham, London

Little Ilford Chapel (Congregational) was in Greenhill Grove, west side, most of the way down from the Romford Road junction. In 1810 Little Ilford had a Quaker family, three other dissenters, but no nonconformists until about 1860. Possibly Brethren at the start, about 1865 it became Congregationalist until 1890. Then it was used in 1893-1898 prior to the founding of Manor Park Christian Centre (see 'related links'), and by the Salvation Army between 1902-1950s.

Manor Park United Methodist Chapel, Little Ilford, Newham, London

Manor Park United Methodist Chapel was on the east side of Herbert Rd, forty metres from Romford Road. Founded about 1870, Free Methodists of Field Road Church (see links) first met in a disused beer shop in Greenhill Grove and then in a skittle alley. An 1880 chapel here was replaced in 1891. After union in 1932, it welcomed Romford Road Wesleyans (see below) and the institute was built, and rebuilt in 1964. It is now Manor Park Methodist Church (Wesley House).

Manor Park Wesleyan Methodist Church, Little Ilford, Newham, London

Manor Park Wesleyan Methodist Church formerly stood on the northern side of Romford Road, opposite the eastern edge of the First Avenue turning. From 1890 Forest Gate Wesleyans held services nearby at Durham Cross. An iron building was erected here, replaced by a large brick church in 1900. By 1903 attendances were booming. A school was added in 1907, but the church merged with Herbert Road after 1934 (see above), keeping this building until about 1937.

Little Ilford Spiritualist Church, Little Ilford, Newham, London

Little Ilford Spiritualist Church is on Third Avenue, two-thirds of the way down on the eastern side. It was registered in 1925 and remained in use by 2010. The congregation was already in existence by 1905 and, between then and 1925, was meeting in Church Road. The Silver Star Christian Spiritualist Church was registered for worship in 1951 and was still in use by 1973 (location unknown), and an earlier Spiritualist church on the same site was registered for 1932-1939.

St Stephen's Catholic Church, Little Ilford, Newham, London

St Stephen's Catholic Church Little Ilford Lane sits on the corner with Church Road. Manor Park Catholic industrial school opened in 1868, with its chapel of St Nicholas (see links). The mother church of St Peter & St Paul opened in 1899 (see links). St Nicholas was then attached to Ilford until 1918, when it became the new Manor Park parish church. St Stephen's was built in 1924 as a chapel to St Nicholas. Rebuilt in 1959, it was the parish church, with St Nicolas as its chapel.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Little Ilford, Newham, London

The Church of St Mary the Virgin stands in grounds on the southern side of Church Road, at the western corner with St Winefride's Avenue. Surviving architectural features show that it was built at least as early as the twelfth century. Surviving a demolition proposition in 1650, it remained Little Ilford's parish church until 1938, when it became a chapel-of-ease to St Michael & All Angels, Romford Road (see links). The post-1963 parsonage is next door.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Little Ilford, Newham, London

The church consists of nave and chancel, north chapel (now the vestry), south porch, and west bell turret. The nave walls and the lower parts of the chancel are of flint rubble, faced with plaster or cement. Those of the chapel, porch, and the upper parts of the chancel are of eighteenth century brick. The roofs are of slate. The nave and the chancel were probably built early in the 1100s. Considerable alterations and refurbishments of the 1800s remain visible today.

Nine photos on this page by P L Kessler (from 2010-2011).

 

 

     
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