The First 150 Years
of Lighthouse London
In 1865 Rev. Henry Sharpe, an enthusiastic and strong minded man, had returned from preaching the gospel in the Ontario backwoods and started to preach to the men building the new Midland Railway between Bedford and London.
Soon, the enthusiastic gatherings of railwaymen in the little mission hall started to attract local residents from the new terraces springing up nearby. The residents and Church authorities soon decided that a more substantial building would be required. Some land was acquired and finances were raised for the new building.
On 1st August 1871, the foundation stone was laid by the seventh Earl of Shaftsbury. He was an active leader in the Church of England at the time, introduced the first laws agains child labour in the mines, and was the first president of the YMCA. The rest of the church was built within a year. The old building became a school until it was demolished in 1876.
1874 - a daughter church and school was planted in the West End village. The parish was enlarged and separated from Trinity
1876 - old mission hall knocked down and a new parish school
1882 - built a mission church bordering the railway on the western extremities. In 1886 it was replaced by a permanent building and the parish of St Cuthberts was created.
The heyday with lots of activity: nearly 2,000 attended on a Sunday, with extra prayer gatherings, Bible Classes, Mission Services &Temperance Meetings
The bulk of the congregation was middle-class families and their servants. A high value for preaching the Bible and keeping the gospel simple and mission work (half the annual income of the church went on this) - winning souls was the primary focus far above and beyond care for physical bodies.
1900 - Rev Sidney Selwyn becomes vicar after the previous one passes away
Oct 1900 - prayer meeting with the presence of god on p9 and the answers to prayer.
1902 - a Church Army Captain joined the staff “to try to be the friend of our coachmen and their families”
Many Name changes and location moves - reference this at the beginning
Make it stand out.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online an make all the difference.
At the time, the Metropolitan Railway was newly opened in Swiss Cottage and introduced the wonder, ease and speed of underground travel to the outskirts of London. It made it possible for people to live in more pleasant areas, surrounded by trees and fields, and travel into the city for work.