History

The history of All Hallows Gospel Oak began when Charles Mackeson, a civil servant, took on mission work in St. Saviour’s Mission Room (formerly an old stable) in Fleet Road in 1878. The mission moved to a temporary building named The Church of the Good Shepherd in Mansfield Road in 1886. Mackeson left the Civil Service to be ordained as deacon in 1885 and Priest in 1889.

The land for the church, vicarage and church hall was purchased from the Earl of Mansfield in 1888 at a cost of £1,380. The foundation stone was laid on 23rd July 1892 by Princess Mary, the Duchess of Teck. The initial design was by James Brooks. It was designated the Church of the Good Shepherd after the mission church.

In 1893 work began on the east end of the church in Courthope Road and was completed nine years later. The vault of the nave was not completed and Brooks’ timber turrets never adorned the roof. The spacious vicarage in Courthope Road was designed by James Brooks and erected in 1889-91.

When All Hallows the Great in Upper Thames Street in the City of London was demolished in 1894 and the site sold, the proceeds were promised for the completion of the church. However, litigation prevented the funds being released and work on the church stopped.

Fr. Mackeson was given the title ‘Vicar – designate of All Hallows, North St Pancras’ when the new district came into being by an Order-in-Council on 18 July 1894. Unfortunately he died in October 1899 in the midst of the struggle to fund further construction and before he could become the first Vicar. He is acknowledged as the Founder of All Hallows Gospel Oak.

Eventually £13,129 from the sale of the City church was released and the new church was named All Hallows Gospel Oak. A new priest, Fr. Bousfield Lombard, took on the task of continuing construction. The Bishop of London dedicated the incomplete church on 23rd January 1901, the day after the death of Queen Victoria thus making it the first church to be dedicated in the reign of King Edward VII. The pulpit and font were brought from The Church of the Good Shepherd and a Jacobean credence table, which is still used every Sunday, came from All Hallows the Great.

James Brooks died in 1901 and was succeeded by Giles Gilbert Scott, who designed Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. Gilbert Scott was primarily responsible for the design of the chancel but because of lack of funds, it remained unfinished for many years. In 1908 Fr. Lombard was succeeded by Fr. Charles Hatt who launched a fundraising drive in 1911 to finish the church.

The Bishop of Islington consecrated All Hallows Gospel Oak on 16th May 1914, months before the outbreak of the First World War. The press called the church “the Cathedral of North London”.

Fr. Hatt stayed in post for 28 years, guiding the church and its congregation through the First World War. At his behest, a Calvary was erected outside the west end as a memorial to those who died in the conflict but without names because the war was ongoing. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Willesden on Easter Saturday 1918.

All Hallows Gospel Oak weathered the Second World War relatively unscathed, although there was some bomb damage to the nave and the vicarage. The parish of St. Stephen Rosslyn Hill was united with All Hallows on 1st June 1977.

Points of Interest

Exterior

Our Lord as The Good Shepherd stands over the west doors, installed when it was intended to name the church for the Good Shepherd. The Memorial of the Great War 1914-18 was erected in memory of those lost and buried in foreign lands. The memorial is Grade II-listed (number: 1452850).

Interior

The High Altar is of varying coloured marbles. The Altar of the Good Shepherd Chapel is of alabaster. Some of the High Altar ornaments are 16th century and came from Turin Cathedral.

The windows

The east window above the High Altar depicts Christ the King surrounded by saints. The Chapel of the Assumption east window, which depicts the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, was completed after the Second World War in memory of Fr. Edgar Bailey, Vicar 1936-44. The magnificent rose window at the west end is incomplete. A plan of the window as it is intended to be hangs on the wall at the west end. Several small windows in the church are memorials to members of the congregation, especially in the Good Shepherd Chapel.

The font

The stone font at the west end of the church was installed in memory of Fr. Charles Hatt, Vicar of the parish for 28 years.

Stations of the Cross

Painted on metal panels in wooden frames, the Stations of the Cross originally hung in St. Alban’s Holborn.

Carved wood

The beautifully carved Crucifix came from Oberammergau. The oak pulpit and stalls in the chancel came from Christ Church Mayfair and are very finely wrought. All Hallows is justly proud of Our Lady of Joy, which was carved in Bavaria c.1870 based on a medieval design.

The music

All Hallows has excellent acoustic qualities and is often used for concerts, recitals and recordings. The church has a magnificent four-manual organ, installed in 1915 by W. Hill and Son. It was awarded a Historic Organ Certificate Grade I by the British Institute of Organ Studies.

St. Stephen’s

Among items from St. Stephen’s Rosslyn Hill is a beautiful cross and matching candlesticks designed by Harold Stabler. Bells from St. Stephen’s have been recast and installed at All Hallows.

The design of All Hallows Gospel Oak is a ‘hall church’ giving unencumbered views of the High Altar and a great feeling of spaciousness. The massive pillars are built, like the rest of the church, to incorporate natural light.

For more than 110 years, All Hallows Gospel Oak has witnessed to the Christian faith and Catholic tradition in the Church of England. We hope it will serve as a place of worship and spiritual inspiration to all who enter it.