I always associate railings with Mrs. Pankhurst and her quest for the emancipation of women. The Railings Committee hope that the recently launched appeal will bear fruit too, but within a much shorter time scale!
In 1709 the Old Parish Church was in a ruinous condition and in 1710 was declared to be very much decayed and in great danger of falling by reason of its Age and Rottennesse’. Although repairs were done, it became clear that the church would have to be rebuilt and concerted efforts were made to resolve this problem in 1744. The estimated cost of rebuilding was put at £2,500.00, but inevitably rose to a final grand total of £3,955.17s.7d. (clearly rising building costs are nothing new). Indeed it was another 12 months before most of the contractors were paid. It was during that time, as reported by Judy East in last month’s magazine, the gates and railings were purchased and installed. The energy and commitment of the trustees and subscribers in rebuilding the church is quite humbling. However it was not long before the growing congregation made it necessary to enlarge the church. The church was extended in 1827-44 with a second extension in 1877-8 (when the altar was moved to the west end of the church). These works were followed by the construction of the choir vestry built in 1911-12. The proposals for and execution of these works were not agreed without controversy and were accompanied by much energetic debate, objection, modification, frenzied parliamentary lobbying (including an Act of Parliament) and effort to reach agreement and find the costs involved.
Last year my godson and his wife came with me to our church and afterwards said how lucky we are to worship in such a lovely building. Yes, we are, thanks to the commitment of both past and present congregations to the preservation of the fabric of St John’s. Alas, the railings surrounding both the church and the Additional Burial Ground have not been painted for 30 years (the grey paint is in fact only an undercoat) and do not do justice to the building. Although the upkeep of the railings to the church is the responsibility of Camden Council, to date they have been unable to earmark the funds to carry out the work. Inevitably, due to the ensuing delay, the Handel gates and the railings have continued to deteriorate, a cause of great concern to the PCC. As a result of that concern the Railings Committee was formed last summer to co-ordinate a fund raising appeal which has been recently launched.
We are grateful to the Church Row Association whose generosity funded the restoration and painting of the short stretch of railings to the Additional Burial Ground adjacent to the church. We also acknowledge with thanks, the generous support of The Heath and Hampstead Society. Ultimately, we are grateful to you, who love and value our wonderful Grade I listed building, for your donations however great or small.
Work has begun and already the improvement is apparent. To date the Appeal has raised £ 3,000 [plus £4,000 from the Heath and Hampstead Society] towards the total cost of the works of £10,000.00 and with your continued support it is hoped that this target will be met so that the works can be completed as soon as possible.
Appeal postcards have already been distributed at Sunday services, but there is a further supply at the back of the church. If you are a UK tax payer, please fill in the Gift Aid declaration on the reverse of the card. This will enable the church to maximise donations under the Gift Aid scheme.
Beryl Dowsett