|
The demolition of the original St Matthews Church in 1999 was controversial to say the least. Generations of Sands End residents had been christened and married in the fine old building which was one of Sands End's great landmarks. But St Matthews was showing its age and a great deal of money was required to carry out essential repairs. The existence of the Church in its current state was deemed to be economically unviable and a great drain on resources. There were many tears nevertheless when the old building eventually came down. Others though saw it as the dawn of a new era as the 19th century was coming to an end and were happy with the new modern Church (photographed in 2007 by Francis Czucha)   Above: Modern St Matthews. Below: Old Church. Colour photos courtesy Margaret Russell. Black and white pictures from Hammersmith & Fulham Archives.  
  History of St Matthews and Post War Developments. At the end of the 19th Century Sands End changed from being a rural community to a London suburb. Miss Charlotte Sulivan, a local benefactress, donated some land for a new church to be built. She also provided a farm house to be used as a vicarage. A mission hall and a church to seat 800 people were constructed by 1895. St Matthews survived two world wars but during the 1960s a plan was hatched to re-develop the entire site. It was not until some thirty years later that this became possible and in 1999 the hall and church were demolished to be replaced by a much smaller church and nine houses owned by a housing association. I am grateful to present Deaconess Sue Pierson for making available a copy of the Church's centenary booklet which she published in 1995 for not only is it a fascinating record of the development of the Church since its inception and the contribution made by its ministers but a record of the great social change which occured in the area, notably from the 1960s onwards.
The Church not only met the evangelical needs of Sands End residents during this period but performed an important social role. In 1967 under the Rev Michael Botting's stewardship the St Matthews Luncheon Club was started in the hall where Senior Citizens could purchase a two-course meal for 10d in old money (less than 5p). Many of you were members of St Michael's Youth Club in Townmead Road. And In 1977 the then vicar Michael Saward founded the Association Of Residents in Sands End (ARISE) which gave a voice to local folk. But St Matthews was in the middle of an area which experienced much social upheaval between the 1960s and 1980s. "In 1966 the area which had been De Morgan tile works and Ismalia Road, was rebuilt as the Townmead Estate: the tower block Barton House and low-rise housing, Coomber and Perotti Houses." And in the 1970s "the once working class suburb received not only a number of West Indian immigrants (1970s) but also the Chelsea overspill. This gentrification led to astronomical rises in house prices. Young married couples were forced to move further out, scrubbed pine and antique shops appeared in Wandsworth Bridge Road. The divide between the "old" and the "new" Fulham became more marked." By the 1980s "Fulham Power Station was demolished (1983) to be replaced eventually by upmarket housing and our village shop Sainsbury's !" The impact of all this social change was met head on by St Matthews. Popular and progressive clergy like Michael Botting and Michael Saward (1972-78) rose to the challenge of maintaining and increasing congregation sizes by introducing popular services with guitars and even films and quizes. Elders were appointed to go out into the parish to spread the gospel and encourage folk to come to St Matthews. The Church also warmly welcomed and embraced new families from ethnic backgrounds and by the time of his departure in 1978 the Rev Saward was able to announce that income had "tripled in five years" and was "four times the national average." But money was again in short supply by the 1990s, even though St Matthew's 'core' congregation numbered 100.  
Above left and right- the Rev Michael Botting. Below left: first Licensing Elders in 1974. From left to right: Peter Reeves, Michael Saward, Bishop of Kensington, Coutenay Grebby, Ellen Marlow, Michael Hudson, Gary Piper. Middle: The Hookers farewell in 1945. (Right) Some of the children and their leaders in 1991.   
In 2008 St Matthews welcomes visitors with the following message: We are a group of ordinary people in Fulham, a borough which nestles alongside the River Thames in the heart of London, UK. We come from different backgrounds, all walks of life and are different ages. But we have one thing in common: we are people who have found faith in Jesus Christ, and believe his teaching is relevant today. St Matthew’s church family started in 1884 and has been part of this local community ever since. If you are passing through, have recently moved into the area or have been here for sometime; if you are single, married, young, middle aged or older, you’ll find a warm welcome here. If you have something that concerns you, we would be delighted to listen. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, we’d really like to welcome you here. Visit the Church website http://www.stmf.org.uk Sue Pierson's husband Lance is an entertainer. Visit his website http://www.lancepierson.org/
|
Schools & Churches 
