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Anglican Churches in Stepney, Middlesex in 1890

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Information on this page was provided by John Henley, who regularly answers questions on mailing lists about Middlesex parishes and churches. This page has his information for the whole of the original parish of Stepney. We now have lists for Stepney, Bethnal Green and Poplar, combining the information from this page with links to outline maps showing locations of parishes.

Here is a list of all the Anglican churches of Stepney in 1890/1905, with the dates of the parish formation if known. Original registers if not still with church are mostly deposited in the London Metropolitan Archives, and may be found in the LMA Catalogue.

C of E Churches in Stepney in 1890: . with date founded where known. Stepney is the original parent parish of all, and the first-named in each group, parent parish to those within it.

Additional note: Parishes soon became a convenient unit for the Crown to use for civil administration, but after about 1840 division of parishes was not followed automatically by the division of the coterminous civil parish. In the case of Stepney, nine hamlets (whence the name of the modern London Borough, Tower Hamlets) are listed in Hatton's New View of London (1708) - Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, Mile End New Town, Mile End Old Town, Stratford-le-Bow, Ratcliff, Limehouse, Poplar, & Blackwall. By 1708 some of these were already separate parishes. Stepney's history, with its proximity to the City, is especially convoluted. The original four hamlets were Ratcliff, Poplar, Limehouse (separate parish 1720) , and Mile End (+Stratford-le-Bow (church 1311, parish 1719) by the 16th century), Whitechapel having been created as a parish out of Stepney as early as 1329; Bromley St. Leonard c.1536, and out of Whitechapel came the hamlet of Wapping-on-the-Wose, later Wapping (chapel of ease 1617, parish 1694). Then out of Ratcliff (not a parish until 1838) came the hamlets of Shadwell (1645, parish 1670), Wapping-Stepney (or St. George's in the East) (1670,parish 1728); out of Poplar (separate parish 1817) came Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs (never separate civil parishes); out of Mile End came Bethnal Green (1597, parish 1746), Sipitalfields (1662, parish 1729); and Mile End New Town (1691, parish 1838); leaving Mile End Old Town (parish, 1840). By 1890, there were some 67 parishes. Now there are only 23. For civil administration most of the parishes founded before 1837 also became civil parishes. The county was Middlesex until 1890, then the new County of London. The parishes and vestries became part of Metropolitan
Boroughs in 1900 - Bethnal Green - Bethnal Green group, Stepney - Stepney group, + Limehouse, Mile End New Town, Ratcliff, Shadwell, Spitalfields, St. George-in-the-East , Wapping, Whitechapel; Poplar - Poplar, Bromley St. Leonard, St. Mary Bow. In 1965 all these M.B.s became part of the new London Borough of Tower Hamlets, almost if not entirely co-terminous with the original parish of Stepney!.

A good site for more info on this area is the East of London Family History Society.

I've tried to comment about their IGI status, but if you go to FamilySearch and Browse > Browse Library Catalogue > Placename Search [enter Poplar or St George in the East or Stepney or Bromley or Bethnal Green etc. and select the one in Middlesex - it can be picky about the spelling of the placename , if no luck first time try all possible variations] ] > Church Records and Church Records-Indexes, you will see a list of all the LDS film holdings. Batch numbers were at this site http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/nzsoghamilton/batchnumbers.htm but now see IGI Batch Numbers, Middlesex and London, places A to M and
IGI Batch Numbers, Middlesex and London, places N to Z provided by Hugh Wallis. Some churches may appear on the British Vital Records Index (BVRI - an index on CDROM available for sale from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) rather than the IGI. If on the IGI or BVRI then the LDS has a film of the registers.[which may not be complete].

BETHNAL GREEN, St. Matthew, Church Row [out of Stepney 1746] bombed in WW2 and restored. still open

  • Bethnal Green, City of London Hospital for Diseases of the Chest Chapel, St. James's Road, non-parochial
  • Bethnal Green, Jew's Episcopal Chapel, Palestine Place, non-parochial
  • Bethnal Green, St. Andrew, Viaduct Street [1841/43] 1958 Parish to St. Matthew's.Church demolished???
  • Bethnal Green, St. Barnabas, Grove Road, Bow [1870], originally non-conformist(1865), bombed 1942, rebuilt 1957,still open
  • Bethnal Green, St. Bartholomew, Coventry Street [1844] repaired after war damage, re-opened 1951/55.
  • Bethnal Green, St. James the Great, Bethnal Green Road [1844] Church closed 1981, redeveloped as flats, 1983. Parish united to St. Matthew's.
  • Bethnal Green, St. James the Less, St. James's Road [1842]. Blitzed, restored 1950-1961, still open.
  • Bethnal Green, St. John, Cambridge Road (now Cambridge Heath Road) [1818, separate parish 1837]still open
  • Bethnal Green, St. Jude, Old Bethnal Green Road [1844], 1951 parish united to St. James the Great. Church gone,
  • Bethnal Green, St. Matthias, Hare Street [1844/48], 1951 parish united to St. Matthew's Church gone.
  • Bethnal Green, St. Paul, Virginia Row [1852/1865], 1951 parish united to St. Matthew's. Church gone,
  • Bethnal Green, St. Peter, St. Peter's Street [1841], still open
  • Bethnal Green, St. Phillip, Mount Street [1842/3], 1951 parish united to St. Matthew's. Church closed 1952. became a furniture store, now gone?, some glass to St. Matthew's.
  • Bethnal Green, St. Simon Zelotes, Morpeth Street [1844], , 1936 parish united to St. Anthony, Stepney. 1951 this par united to St. John's. Church gone
  • Bethnal Green, St. Thomas, Baroness Road [1844/51], demolished war damage. 1951 parish united to St. Peter's

BROMLEY ST.LEONARD (St. Mary's) (High Street) [c.1100, out of Stepney c.1536]. The lady chapel of Benedictine convent of St. Leonard, became the parish church 1536, destroyed by bombing and construction of Blackwall Tunnel northern approach road. Porch and part of a wall remain. 1963 Parish united to St. Mary Bow, St. Mary.

  • Bromley St. Leonard, St. Andrew [1900] 1952 parish united to previous. church, now gone.
  • Bromley, All Hallows, Devons Road [1874] bombed 1940, rebuilt 1954-55 still open united to 'Holy Trinity Congregation' worshipping in Bow Road Methodist Church. Bromley - the latter appears to be from Holy Trinity Mile End Old Town, with which the parish was united in 1989.
  • Bromley, St. Gabriel, Chrisp Street, [1873] gone? 1952 Parish united to St. Saviour Poplar and St. Stephen Poplar
  • Bromley, St. Mary the Virgin [1900]
  • Bromley, St. Michael and All Angels, St. Leonard's Road [1867] Closed 1975, now gone??? 1971 parish united with All Saints w. St. Frideswide, Poplar and with St. Saviour w. St. Gabriel & St. Stephen Poplar to form Parish of Poplar.
  • Bromley, All Hallows, Abbott Road, East India Docks. [1879] Do not confuse with Devons Road or All Saints Poplar. Bombed. Marriage Registers finish 1947. Rebuilt 1955 as hall-church [?] known as St. Nicholas w. All Hallows, Aberfeldy Street. 1960 closed?? now gone?? 1952 parish divided between Poplar All Saints w. St. Frideswide and Bromley St. Michael & AA.
  • Bromley, Christ Church, Oxford (Mission District 1884), Lodore Street [became St. Frideswide's]

LIMEHOUSE, St. Anne, Commercial Road [out of Stepney 1720] still open

  • Limehouse, St. James, Butcher Row, Ratcliff [1838] damaged in WW2, , Royal Foundation of St. Katherine moved to site from Regent's Park, 1952, 1951 parish united to St. Paul, Shadwell.
  • Limehouse, St. John the Evangelist, Limehouse Fields [1853] Bombed 1940. Church gone? 1951 parish united to St. Matthew Stepney. 1956 united parish abolished and divided between Stepney St. Dunstan w.All Saints and Limehouse St. Anne .
  • Limehouse, St. Peter, Garford Street [1885/87] restored 1961. Closed 1968, demolished 1980s. 1971 parish united to St. Anne's

MILE END NEW TOWN, All Saints, Buxton Street [1838] Closed 1951 and - demolished -when?? 1951 united parish united to Spitalfields Christ Church.

  • Mile End New Town, St. Olave, Hanbury Street [1875] - Closed 1914 and parish united to previous.

MILE END OLD TOWN - see under Stepney.

POPLAR, All Saints, East India Dock Road [with the church at St. Matthias, chapel of ease in Stepney 1653, separate parish out of Stepney 1817, this became the parish church on completion 1823.] -still open. 1952 parish united with St. Frideswide [by 1958 described as being w.St. Nicholas Blackwall and S.Frideswide East India Dock Road ]; 1971 united with St. Michael & AA.Bromley and Poplar St. Saviour w.S.Gabriel & S.Stephen to form Parish of Poplar.

  • Poplar, Christ Church, Manchester Road, Isle of Dogs [1857] - still open
  • Poplar, S.Frideswide East India Dock Road/Lodore Street (1914) bombed WW2, closed 1947, not re-built, parish united to All Saints 1952.
  • Poplar, St. John, Manchester Road, Cubitt Town [1873] now gone?? -1952 parish united with Christ Church.
  • Poplar, St. Luke, Strafford Street, Milwall [1857] bombed and demolished, worship in new hall-church, 1952 parish united with Christ Church
  • Poplar, St. Matthias, High Street [1870] enclosed East India Company Chapel of 1776 replacing chapel of 1654, a chapel of ease to Stepney until 1817: when in 1823 All Saints became the parish church the registers went to All Saints] - perhaps someone knows what has happened to this??? Still open 1966
  • Poplar, St. Nicholas, Blackwall Stairs (Yabsley Street( (1900) bombed 1940 and closed 1941, not rebuilt. Mission Church in All Saints East India Dock Road. The LMA have an odd marriage register for June 1967!!!
  • Poplar, St. Saviour, Northumberland Street [later Northumbria Street] [1875] 1952 united with Bromley St. Gabriel & Poplar St. Stephen. 1971 united parish united to All Saints, Poplar. 1975 church closed?
  • Poplar, St. Stephen, East India Road [1867] 1952 united to Poplar S.Saviour and Bromley St. Gabriel.

ST.GEORGE'S-IN-THE-EAST, St. George in the East, Cannon Street Road [out of Stepney 1729] bombed 1941, smaller church built in shell of old, opened 1954. - still open

  • St. George's-in-the-East, Christ Church, Watney Street [1841] - now gone?? 1951 Parish united to St. George's
  • St. George's-in-the-East, St. John the Evangelist-in-the-East, Grove Street [1870] -now gone??? 1951 Parish united to St. George's
  • St. George's-in-the-East, St. Mary. Johnson Street (Cable Street) [1850] still open
  • St. George's-in-the-East, St. Matthew Pell Street, Princes Square [1860] - now gone??? 1890 parish united to St. George-in-the-East.
  • St. George's-in-the-East, St. Peter, Old Gravel Lane, London Docks [ 1866] still open
  • St. George's-in-the-East, St. Saviour's Mission [?]
  • ST.MARY BOW, (Bromley by Bow, otherwise Stratford-le-Bow or Stratford-atte-Bowe - do NOT confuse with Stratford, Essex, the other (east) side of Bow Bridge, originally called Stratford Langthorne).
  • St. Mary, Bow Road [1311, out of Stepney 1719] sometimes simply called Bow Church [ do NOT confuse with St. Mary-le-Bow, [Sancta Maria d'Arcubus or St. Mary of the Arches, home of the Court of Arches, in the City of London; home of Bow Bells] damaged in WW2 restored, still open.
  • St. Mary Bow, St. Stephen, Tredegar Road, Old Ford [1858] demolished after bomb damage, 1940s.1966 parish united to next.
  • St. Mary Bow, St. Paul, St. Paul's Road (St. Stephen's Road) Old Ford [1878] [do not confuse with St. Paul Bow Common]. - still open.
  • St. Mary Bow, St. Mark, Victoria Park ( Cadogan Terrace)[1872] rebuilt 1960s Now united with St. Paul's(previous entry)
  • St. Mary Bow, Mission District of Christ Church, Old Ford [???]

SHADWELL, St. Paul, High Street [1656, out of Stepney 1669] still open

SPITALFIELDS, Christ Church, Commercial Street [out of Stepney 1729] still open

  • Spitalfields, St. Mary, Church Passage, Spital Square [1854] now gone. 1911 parish united to previous.
  • Spitalfields, St. Stephen, Commercial Street [1858] now gone. 1911 parish united to previous

STEPNEY, St. Dunstan, (St. Dunstan & All Saints)White Horse Street [the mediæval parish church of Stepney] - still open

  • Stepney, Cologne Street Mission [18??] [in previous parish] - long gone
  • Stepney, Holy Trinity, (Morgan Street) Tredegar Square (MILE END OLD TOWN) [1840] [now worshipping at Bow Road Methodists] c.1990 Parish united to Bromley All Hallows, Devons Road.
  • Stepney, Christ Church, Jamaica Street [1877] 1951 Parish divided between Stepney S.Augustine w.S.Philip and Stepney St. Dunstan and All Saints w. S.Thomas & S.Faith. Church now gone ??
  • Stepney, St. Augustine, Settle Street (Commercial Road [1879/80] bombed 1940 . 1951 parish united to St. Phiip the Apostle.
  • Stepney, St. Benet, Mile End Road (MILE END OLD TOWN) [1870/73] bombed 1940 now chapel of Queen Mary's College[?]. 1951 parish united to St. Peter Cephas Street
  • Stepney, St. Luke, Burdett Road [1869] church blitzed WW2 and demolished. 1951 united to St. Paul's, Burdett Road as Bow Common St. Paul w.St. Luke parish
  • Stepney, St. Matthew, Commercial Road/Salmon Lane [1872] Church closed 1955. - now gone?? 1951 parish united to Limehouse Fields St. John.1956 united parish abolished and divided between Stepney St. Dunstan w.All Saints and Limehouse St. Anne .
  • Stepney, St. Paul, Burdett Road, Bow Common [1856/58] blitzed WW2, rebuilt 1960 - still open
  • Stepney, St. Peter. St. Peter's Road / Cephas Street [1838/40] stiil open 1978, now closed, building gone ??
  • Stepney, St. Anthony, Globe Road [1879] 1936 Parish united to Bethnal Green St. Simon Zelotes.Church now gone???
  • Stepney, St. Philip the Apostle, New Road (Stepney Way)/Newark Street [1819, parish 1837] rebuilt 1892 as magnificent vaulted church.the largest church in Stepney 1951 parish united to St. Augustine's Closed 1979, in 1988 it became the Medical Library for the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel.
  • Stepney, St. Thomas, Arbour Square [1838] bombed 1940 closed 1940 church gone?, 1951 parish united to St. Dunstans.
  • Stepney, Emmanuel Mission

WAPPING, St. John, Church Street [1617, out of Stepney 1694] gutted in WW2, tower remains,small church built in ruins, parish united to St. Peter, London Docks.

WHITECHAPEL, St. Mary, (St. Mary Matfelon)Whitechapel Road [out of Stepney in 1323] bombed, WW2, not rebuilt. 1951 parish divided between Spitalfields Christ Church with All Saints and Stepney St. Augustine w.S.Philip.

  • Whitechapel, St. Jude, Commercial Street [1848] 1923 parish united to St. Mary Whitechapel. Church now gone???
  • Whitechapel, St. Mark Goodman Fields, St. Mark's Street [1841] 1926 Closed and Parish united to Whitechapel St. Paul Dock Street. Church now gone???
  • Whitechapel, St. Paul, Dock Street [1847] closed 1990. Parish united to St. George-in-the-East.

OTHER INSTITUTIONS WITH ANGLICAN CHAPELS/CHAPLAINS:

  • London Hospital,Whitechapel ;
  • Bethnal Green Workhouse ;
  • Whitechapel Workhouse and Infirmary ;
  • Operative Jewish Converts' Institution ;
  • Oxford House.
  • City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery [do not confuse with the City of
    London Cemetery at Ilford] ;
  • Mile End Workhouse, Infirmary and School ;
  • Poplar Union ;
  • Stepney Union ;
  • St. George's-in-the-East Workhouse, Infirmary and Schools ;
  • Poplar and Stepney Sick Asylum ;
  • City of London Union, Bow Road ;
  • Church Workers' Training Home.

The link from each parent parish leads to a GENUKI page with an 1868 Gazetteer description of the area, and link to a modern map for that location. For old maps, on-line or printed, see street and map sites list

Maps

On our page of Middlesex maps there is a section for maps recommended by John Henley for use with his lists of churches