St. Luke's, Ramsgate - Hisotry of St. Luke's Ramsgate

1. The Building Phase - Up to 1876

15/11/2016

The following shows an extract from a booklet produced in the 1920s, which gave the history of the first 50 years of St. Luke's. The first picture is of the vicar in the 1920s, but the text tells us of the original vision and plans that led to the building of the church. It is notable how much money the Whiting family put into the project, but also that it was very much a local community effort. Work amongst children was also a priority right from the start.

The paragraph on the next page reads:
".. and on All Saints Day, November 1st, 1876, the Church as far as then built - nave and aisles - was consecrated by the Archbishop, who expressed great admiration of the building with its arches of Caen stone and its pillars of red granite."

2. Vicar's Letter 1890 - Rev. Whiting

13/11/2016

The letter below comes from the first Parish Magazine, which appeared in January 1890, 14 years after the church was opened. It was reprinted as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the church in 1936.

The vicar of 1890, Rev. Whiting doesn't pull his punches...

"A New Year! But we must not forget that the words, a New Year, signify that another year has passed away. The old year has gone. You cannot call it back; but it is not well to let the old year go without very serious thought. What account can you give of last year? How many talents God committed to your care! How did you use them? What account can you give of the fifty-two Sundays and all the valuable time of the week? Have you wasted or used those precious days? What about your strength, your family joys and sorrows, your many powers of mind and body. Some of you had but little money, but how you have employed what God gave you from time to time. Have you promoted the glory of God and the good of your fellow creatures? When the sun shone and made your heart glad, have you been thankful to the Giver of all good gifts? And when clouds overshadowed your sky, have you been submissive under the hand of your heavenly Father? Come, let us deal seriously with ourselves, let us confess our past failures and seek forgiveness through Christ our Saviour. Let us lay better plans for the future! All our work lies before us, and our God will strengthen us for coming trials and coming joys by His Spirit in the inner man.

We therefore salute you, as the Apostle did, and say grace, mercy, and peace be with you for the New Year, 1890."

3. Schools are set up, 1876-1905

12/11/2016

Below is the continuation of the 50 year history of St. Luke's written in 1926. This section describes the founding of some local schools (including St. Lawrence College) and the building of the first Vicarage, which is pictured in the second frame. It also describes the completion of the church with a chancel and finishes with the appointment of the second vicar around the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Interestingly it notes how rapidly the population of the Parish was expanding.

4. Vicar's Letter - Rev. F. J. Hazledine (1906-1912)

11/11/2016

This is another vicar's letter from a Parish Magazine in 1906, which was reprinted in the 1936 Diamond Jubilee edition of the magazine.

The Rev. Hazledine is pictured sitting down in the picture with his two ordained sons standing behind him.

Another challenging message that is just as relevant today:

"I think a Service ought to be bright and above all, congregational, but what we do need is to lead penitent souls to the foot of the Cross for pardon, and unless the Church of England is doing this it is dismally failing to do God's work. The mere attendance at Church, the mere observance of outward forms of worship will not avail for the soul's eternal welfare. Nothing but change of hear, the new birth unto righteousness, in short, conversion, will stand the test of eternity...

Dear friends, let me ask you the solemn question, 'On what is your hope for the future resting?'"

5. St. Luke's Parish at the start of the Twentieth Century

10/11/2016

Rev. Hazledine and Family

The Refreshment Tent at St. Luke's Vicarage Garden Sale in 1906

The church of St. Luke's was opened in 1876, built to seat nearly 900 people. The population of the parish at the time was 1,900, but within twenty years this had doubled. A daughter church had been built at Northwood, a Mission Hall in Thornton Road, three schools erected, various clubs formed, and the parish given paved roads, street lamps and a variety of shops.

This was a harder time than today and the area was a poor neighbourhood. A third of St. Luke's burials involved children under four years, just over half of these being less than a year old. One third of women's deaths was a result of childbirth.

The church was very much at the centre of the community. The two grew together. There was little 'welfare state' save the workhouse so the church was still seen as a major charitable force. In 1905, the Rev. Hazledine said that his doorbell never stopped ringing from people in distress asking for money, shelter or food. The vicar added that in his experience most of the distressed could afford beer and he denied absolutely that the church existed to give material aid to those of 'improvident habit'.

However, there was a Coal Club, Blanket Club, Shoe Club, Clothing Club and Penny Bank, all of which took weekly penny subscriptions, and paid out in kind at set seasons. The Rev. Hazledine also started a Slate Club, later the Benefit Club, for working men as a means of insuring themselves against a total lack of income when sick. The fact that forty men queued up to join on the first day shows the need felt for such a provision.

Sunday Schools were part of life for the average Edwardian child. In St. Luke's 80% of day school children attended the parish Sunday School and special classes were laid on for the older teenagers.

Over two thirds of households purchased the Parish Magazine, it included local news and a national inset, 'Home Words'. There were stories, pictures and a variety of articles from, 'How to Prepare Dinner without a Maid' to 'Why I love the prayer book!' It was a very evangelical publication and intensely royalist.

This is an extract from an article by Margaret Bolton in Kent Seen.

6. The Early Twentieth Century (1906-1926)

9/11/2016

The start of the new century was dominated by the coming of the First World War and the tragedies and hardship that accompanied it. It was as a memorial to those who had lost their lives in the war that the first Church Hall was erected, but this was only a church hut!

This last instalment from the history of the first 50 years at St. Luke's starts with a summary of the work of the second vicar, Rev. Hazledine, who was vicar from 1905-1912. The main focus, however, is on the events during the time of the third vicar, Rev. Collins, 1913-1927.

7. Vicar's Letter 1916 - Rev. G. G. Collins

8/11/2016

This is the third vicar's letter reprinted in 1936. This time the vicar of 1916, Rev. G. G. Collins recalls the terrible bombing raid that led to the deaths of children on the way to Sunday school:

"Twice again, within a month, we have had merciful protection for our Parish from the modern 'terror by night'. It is not permitted to write any particulars, but here we all know at least to thank God for answers to prayer; enough, too, to add our local airmen to the list of those whom we remember nightly on our knees.

"A very important matter is being settled as we write. St. Lawrence College is to be removed to Chester, the Junior School to Carmarthen, and the buildings are taken over by the Canadian Red Cross Society for their wounded. We are likely to have therefore 900 or 1,000 men within the Parish. The probability is there will be a Resident Chaplain, though, I have volunteered to take over the duties.... We must pray that this God-given opportunity of useful influence may be used by us all."

"There is no need to add another account of the many written of The Air Raid, on Sunday March 19th. We all remember enough of the terrors of that day. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the sorrowing hearts; and we feel deeply for the little ones lying in our Hospital. It is a great comfort to know that progress toward recovery is as satisfactory as can be expected. We give below a list of the little ones who were killed. We must never doubt the love and wisdom of God. He knows what is best and sometime will come

'The promised time,
When sin shall be no more;
Oppression, lust and crime,
Shall flee his face before.'

"The funeral service, held on the Thursday following the raid, was most impressive. Not only was the Church crowded to capacity, but all the way from the Church to the Cemetery was lined with crowds of silent, sympathetic people. At the service, Canon Molineux spoke a few words of comfort, and we could not but feel how true were his words when he said: 'Creation never groaned and travailed in pain' so much as it does today. These little ones are indeed, as the Canon so beautifully put it, 'Martyrs in deed, though not in will.' At the funeral service and the memorial services on the Sunday following, Mrs. Mary Whiting's beautiful and appropriate hymn, written for the occasion was sung."

The names follow:
Herbert James Gibbons, aged 9 years
James Saxby, aged 4 years
Gladys Evelyn Saxby, aged 6 years
Francis Hardwick, aged 7 years
Ernest Robert Philpott, aged 12 years
Mrs. Gertrude Mary Bishop, aged 23 years.

8. The First World War (1914-1918)

7/11/2016

1914 was a sad year for St. Luke's. It's first vicar, who is still the longest serving vicar, Rev. Whiting (vicar from 1875-1905) died. Yet added to that grief was the start of World War I, which had a deep impact on the parish.

St. Luke's was said to be the most bombed parish in the most bombed town in England during World War I. In March 1916, five children were killed on their way to Sunday School, ten others injured and two adults killed. The funeral for the children was held in the church.

But, through this time the church continued active and people kept praying. The picture below from 1918 shows a group photo holding up the letters, 'Victory Through Prayer'. The vicar towards the right, was the vicar from 1913-1927, Rev. Collins. As you can see at this time children played a key role in the churches life.

9. The Coming of World War II (1936-1941)

6/11/2016

In 1936 St. Luke's had two weeks of celebration for its Diamond Jubilee. The Archbishop visited for an evening service which was packed. A special edition of the Magazine was printed with a silver cover to mark the Diamond Jubilee year.

The church was flourishing and the initial hut that was built as a memorial after the First World War was replaced by the new Parish Hall, which is our present Church Hall and completed in 1939. Plans were also begun to build what would become the present church building at St. Mark's in Northwood. It had been a part of St. Luke's parish from the start and there had been work happening there for most of St. Luke's history, but now it was felt the need for a more suitable building.

However, the threat of impending war was soon upon Ramsgate, particularly fearful after its experiences of bombing in World War I. After Dunkirk many people left Ramsgate including the vicar of St. Luke's and as a result the church St. Luke's was closed. Some Services were held in the new Church Hall, but St. Luke's as a parish church was in reality put on hold during the darkest years of the war.

10. Vicar's Letter from January 1939, Gilbert Williamson

5/11/2016

Another vicar's letter from the start of 1939. War is still to come, but the threat of war is clearly on people's minds and the vicar calls people to prayer. Church life still goes on, however, and rejoicing at money raised and plans for the development of what would become the present church building for St. Mark's are also mentioned along with the work to build the present St. Luke's church hall.

MY DEAR FRIENDS,

May I wish you all a very Happy New Year. As we leave 1938 behind, we wish that we could leave much of its unsettlement behind with it. This, alas, does not seem altogether possible, and the call to prayer and acknowledgement of God remain insistent. I hope that many who hitherto have not taken part in the Week of Universal Prayer will feel the need to do so this year. To join with others the world over in the first week of the year to seek God's guidance for the Churches and nations, is surely at the present time a Christian duty as well as privilege.

As a congregation, I feel that we may enter the New Year greatly encouraged. The response to the Thankoffering Fund - now standing at £115 - cheered me greatly, and I know that you shared that encouragement. The sum realised breaks the record of even the first Thankoffering day. It is not merely that the amount is splendid, but that such a result cannot be attained without interest and unity. It is that good spirit thus shewn which will help us so much in our work.

I was equally cheered, too, by that same spirit of goodwill at the December meeting of the Parochial Church Council. It was then resolved to go forward with the undertaking at Northwood to erect a suitable building for the work there. It was a step calling for faith and courage and an appreciation of what God was calling us to do to further His Kingdom in our own town. It was taken with goodwill, and I am certain God will honour our faith. Quite apart from the important matter decided the spirit displayed is a valuable asset, and with it I am persuaded St. Luke's will, in the truest sense, prosper and its work go forward. May I ask you all to pray for success in the appeal to a wider circle that the parish to help the above project, and also that our efforts to replace our Hut by a really suitable Hall will be crowned with success.

I thank God for these encouraging events last month, and thank the Church Council and you all for such helpful co-operation.

If I am to suggest a text to keep in mind during 1939, I would choose Proverbs 3:4-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

For the leaders of the nations, for the leaders of the Church, and for ourselves as a congregation and as individuals, what better word is there than that? What problems would find their solution when that word is obeyed. And what undertakings we at St. Luke's shall be able to carry out with success if our reliance is in God.

When the work is His its accomplishment is certain!

May faith in God and the spirit of fellowship enrich our experience in 1939!

Your sincere friend,

Gilbert. H. Williamson

11. Rebuilding after the War (1944-1956)

5/11/2016

In 1944 as the end of the war was in sight a new vicar was appointed to St. Luke's, Rev. Blanchett. This was a time of when the life and fellowship of the church steadily grew, especially the work amongst the young people. There were meetings for fellowship and recreation which were very well attended by both young and old.

However, initially after the war the church building itself was in desperate need of repair and so the services were initially held in the church hall. However, on February 4th 1951 the building was finally re-opened at a special service to which all the local dignitaries were invited.

The magazine says of them:
"They are glad to be associated in Thanksgiving with the people of this large Parish that our Church escaped destruction during two world wars, in both of which this district received more bombs and shells than any other part of the town."

Rev. Blanchett at a garden fete in early 1950s.

Youth club camp in 1954

A view of the roof as it was being repaired in 1950.

The Parish magazine announces the re-opening of St. Luke's in 1951.

12. A time of change (1956-1985)

4/11/2016

As with most churches in the U.K. these years saw a steady decline in church numbers. Eva Side, who was a Warden at St. Luke's and wrote a 100 year history of St. Luke's in 1976 reflects, 'During the 1950's and early 1960's St. Luke's, like practically every other parish found meetings and church attendances dropping steadily. The age of television was in full swing and as with all new toys, people just wanted to stay at home and watch the 'box'.

Yet, the decline must not be exaggerated! Much continued to happen at St. Luke's during this period. There were Women's Fellowship outings, youth groups and the starting of a Campaigner's group in 1969, which soon grew and developed. Also in 1967 the new Church at St. Mark's that was first planned before the War was completed and consecrated by the then Archbishop of Canterbury.

Each vicar brought in their own changes. The Rev. Hall who started in 1956 encouraged a greater emphasis on Spiritual growth and less on general fellowship, whilst the Rev. Halse who started in 1968, also brought in a number of changes, including the end of the publication of the parish paper, 'The Recorder', which had run for 20 years with the aim of being placed into every home in the parish. In 1968 it was felt that the paper was no longer taking the vital message into the Parish that it was meant to do, that it no longer had popular appeal. Finally, it was felt that the Parish could no longer afford to distribute the paper. It was replaced instead with a more 'do it yourself' duplicated parish magazine that would be charged for. The other big change introduced at this time was to move the Sunday School from Sunday afternoons to Sunday mornings, so that they would run during the Sunday morning service (as they do now). This was a big change, but it reflected as similar pattern up and down the country. In the following years there were other changes, including the move away from the traditional 1662 prayer book to more modern services.

In 1976, St. Luke's celebrated its centenary. However, this was not a grand celebration like the Diamond Jubilee in 1936, rather the vicar encouraged it to be a 'growth point'. As such Rev. Colin Urquart was invited to lead a weekend of renewal at around this time.

In the late 1970's the Diocese did a review of Thanet Deanery and suggested closing and amalgamating a number of churches. It was suggested that Ramsgate have only three churches: St. George's, St. Laurence and St. Mark's. St. Luke's would be closed. However, this proposal was rejected by the local churches. Indeed, no churches in Thanet closed as a result of the review!

Some from the youth club were married at St. Luke's. This couple are still coming!

A Women's Fellowship Outing in 1960s?

St. Luke's church choir in 1976

The Rev. Halse at a family service in 1976.

The Venables family.

A Campaigner's Trip to the Isle of Wight in 1978

13. The Church must come down (1988)

3/11/2016

Below is a cutting from a local paper (Friday 11th November 1988). It features a picture of the then vicar, Geoff Pearson standing in the church. At this time plans were put forward to sell off St. Luke's to be used for affordable housing and use the money to build a smaller more compact community hall and church on the hall site. The plans progressed a long way and received the support of most of the congregation at the time. However, in the end the house prices changed and the scheme became economically impossible and was abandoned.

14. Up to the present day (1990-2016)

2/11/2016

After attempts to close St. Luke's had fallen apart at the start of the 1990s, the church carried on as it had been. At this time much was similar to today. The calendar in the 1994 magazine (the magazine was stopped soon after this date) included:

Sunday

Family Service and baptisms at 10:30am
Evening communion at 6:30pm

Tuesday

Prayer, 7:45am
Women's Fellowship, 2:30pm

Wednesday

Home Group, 2:30pm

Thursday

Home Group, 7:30pm
2 Home Groups, 8:00pm

Friday

Pram Club, 10:30am

Not that did-similar to the present day programme!

The new vicar of 1994 was Vernon Wilkins. During his time he made a number of changes to the church buildings and grounds, including erecting the present fence around the church gardens and selling off the organ and re-organising and carpeting the chancel area to create the large space we have there today. Also during this time, the Pram Club was re-launched as Play and Praise.

In 2004, the present vicar, Paul Worledge started. After introducing the Christianity Explored course to the church, the Home Groups, which had stopped were re-launched as Growth Teams. In January 2009 a new youth group, Fusion was launched on Friday evenings, which has since gone from strength to strength. In December 2011 the new toilets and kitchen area in the church were opened. Although there is no longer a parish magazine, the church also launched a website!

St. Luke's in 1992

A vicarage BBQ in early 1990s

A home group meeting in 1990s

The Pram Club in 1990s

The old organ, which was sold around the turn of the century

15. The 140th Celebration

1/11/2016

Thank you to all who took part in and contributed to our 140th Celebration yesterday. After a wonderful day of Prayer on Saturday, which saw 36 different people join us for prayer at some point in the day, we had a special service on Sunday with John Dunnett from CPAS as our guest speaker. You can listen to his sermon here: John's sermon.

As well as the service we are thankful to Trevor Clarke for installing an amazing Prayer Space in the North Aisle of the church and to Pauline, Hazel and Delphine for organising a lovely meal. Also for Pauline for baking the celebratory cake!

The celebration cake made by Pauline.

John Dunnett cutting the cake

Sitting down for lunch in the south side of the church