If St Saviour’s was the first church built specifically for the Deaf community in London, then St Barnabas on Evelyn Street in Deptford was the second. The foundation stone was laid in 1882, and the church was opened in 1883. It remained open until 1953.
Although we don’t have a great deal of information on it (and our focus is St Saviour’s), we can show you where it was.
This is a map of the bottom of Evelyn Street, and its junction with New King Street in the 1870s.
A close up gives you the the smithy on the north side of Evelyn Street, the drinking fountain on the junction of the roads and another fountain on the north side of the Evelyn street, behind a wall, in what must have been a nice little garden.
And here, the same close up for the 1890 map
The church was long and narrow, and although it says ‘seats for 150 here’ they could squeeze in about 200.
Not much then changes to 1950. The smithy has gone, and a pub has opened on Evelyn street.
And then… in the 1960s, they did this:
And that’s pretty much what it looks like today.
Fascinated to find this. My grandparents, both deaf, were married at St Matthew’s Hackney in 1897. As well as them, their witnesses and the officiating cleric, the parish record shows the signature of William Roper (?) Chaplain of St Barnabas, Deptford, who I imagine he must have been interpreting. I believe they met at St Saviour’s. I knew nothing of St Barnabas until I found a reference on the Charles Booth Online Archive.
Hi Sue,
What a nice connection. We’ll be able to give you more information about St Barnabas, St Saviour’s and William Roper as the project goes on… In the meantime, we’re eager to get as much information as we can about the people who actually attended St Saviour’s, so I’d love to know more about your grandparents… if you’re happy to share?
All the best,
mike