Brook Street Chapel
Encyclopedia
Brook Street Chapel is a nondenominational church building in Tottenham
, North London
. The building was constructed for use as a meeting place for local Christian
s affiliated with the Plymouth Brethren
movement.
and his brother Robert, and some funding was also provided by their father, the meteorologist Luke Howard
, who moved to Tottenham shortly after. The Howards are commemorated in Tottenham by a blue plaque
to Luke at 7, Bruce Grove, and a green plaque to John on the site of his home, Lord's Meade (now Lordship Lane).
As the population of Tottenham grew throughout the nineteenth century, the assembly of Christians also grew rapidly to around 88 by 1842 and around 140 in 1851. Work with local children was a major concern, with a Sunday School of an estimated 600 children at the turn of the twentieth century. The Meeting House, now known as Brook Street Chapel was given over entirely for children's work, and all other assembly meetings were held between 1880 and 1903 in lecture rooms on the opposite side of the High Road.
The Chapel building was extended in 1939 and again in 1955 to include a schoolroom and a rear hall for youth work. The building in its present state occupies the whole of Brook Street, after World War II
bombing destroyed the houses in the further part of the road.
and exclusive
factions - the Memorandum shows that Brook Street Chapel remained 'open', receiving any Christians into fellowship who were born-again believers in Jesus Christ, providing their confession of faith
could be demonstrated.
magazine and Edmund Gosse
, who taught in the Sunday School. Christians who taught or visited include John Nelson Darby
, Anthony Norris Groves
, George Muller
, James Hudson Taylor, Thomas Barnardo, Philip Gosse (Edmund's father, and a noted naturalist) and his wife Emily Bowes
, who were married at the chapel in 1848.
of London and, like the Plough public house next to it, was set back from Tottenham High Road
. Since then, the double front of the chapel has been partially obscured by new buildings (now housing Ladbrokes
bookmakers), so that the building appears hidden from the High Road (now the A10), giving it the nickname of "the hidden church".
The land to the South of the chapel was originally the Chapel's burial ground. When it was no longer usable, the land was committed to the London County Council
to be kept in perpetuity as an open, public space - it is now a children's playground and paved area.
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The building was constructed for use as a meeting place for local Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s affiliated with the Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
movement.
History
A group of around eight individuals who had seceded from the Quakers met in the house of a Mrs Sands in Stoney South (now Stoneleigh Road) from 1838, and the Brooks Street Meeting House was constructed and opened in 1839. Prominent amongst the original members were the chemist John Eliot HowardJohn Eliot Howard
John Eliot Howard was an English chemist of the nineteenth century, who conducted pioneering work with the development of quinine....
and his brother Robert, and some funding was also provided by their father, the meteorologist Luke Howard
Luke Howard
Luke Howard FRS was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science...
, who moved to Tottenham shortly after. The Howards are commemorated in Tottenham by a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
to Luke at 7, Bruce Grove, and a green plaque to John on the site of his home, Lord's Meade (now Lordship Lane).
As the population of Tottenham grew throughout the nineteenth century, the assembly of Christians also grew rapidly to around 88 by 1842 and around 140 in 1851. Work with local children was a major concern, with a Sunday School of an estimated 600 children at the turn of the twentieth century. The Meeting House, now known as Brook Street Chapel was given over entirely for children's work, and all other assembly meetings were held between 1880 and 1903 in lecture rooms on the opposite side of the High Road.
The Chapel building was extended in 1939 and again in 1955 to include a schoolroom and a rear hall for youth work. The building in its present state occupies the whole of Brook Street, after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
bombing destroyed the houses in the further part of the road.
The Tottenham Memorandum
Displayed in the Chapel is the Tottenham Memorandum, which was produced at the time of the division of the movement into openOpen Brethren
The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren or "Plymouth Brethren", are a group of Protestant Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement...
and exclusive
Exclusive Brethren
The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848....
factions - the Memorandum shows that Brook Street Chapel remained 'open', receiving any Christians into fellowship who were born-again believers in Jesus Christ, providing their confession of faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
could be demonstrated.
Individuals associated with the assembly
Apart from the Howards, other notable members of the assembly included James Von Summer, founder of the Echoes of ServiceEchoes of Service
Echoes of Service is a missionary support agency founded in 1872 based in Bath, England. Their main purpose is to serve missionaries around the world, and those commended from Christian Brethren assemblies/churches in particular, amongst whom missionary activity is common.-History:The society began...
magazine and Edmund Gosse
Edmund Gosse
Sir Edmund William Gosse CB was an English poet, author and critic; the son of Philip Henry Gosse and Emily Bowes.-Early life:...
, who taught in the Sunday School. Christians who taught or visited include John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation...
, Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves has been described as the "father of faith missions". He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq, and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Plymouth...
, George Muller
George Müller
George Müller , a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for 10,024 orphans in his life...
, James Hudson Taylor, Thomas Barnardo, Philip Gosse (Edmund's father, and a noted naturalist) and his wife Emily Bowes
Emily Bowes
Emily Bowes Gosse was a Victorian painter and illustrator, and writer of evangelical Christian poems and tracts.-Biography:...
, who were married at the chapel in 1848.
Geography
The chapel was built when Tottenham was a wealthy suburbSuburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of London and, like the Plough public house next to it, was set back from Tottenham High Road
Tottenham High Road
Tottenham High Road is the main thoroughfare through the district of Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. It runs from Edmonton in the North to Stamford Hill in the South . It follows, for the whole of its length, the course of the erstwhile Roman Road, Ermine Street...
. Since then, the double front of the chapel has been partially obscured by new buildings (now housing Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes plc is a British based gambling company. It is based in Rayners Lane in Harrow, London owned by Bhavin Kakaiya. From 14 May 1999 to 23 February 2006, when it owned the Hilton hotel brand outside the United States, it was known as Hilton Group plc...
bookmakers), so that the building appears hidden from the High Road (now the A10), giving it the nickname of "the hidden church".
The land to the South of the chapel was originally the Chapel's burial ground. When it was no longer usable, the land was committed to the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
to be kept in perpetuity as an open, public space - it is now a children's playground and paved area.
Services
| Service | Day and Time |
|---|---|
| Lord's Supper Lord's Supper The Lord's Supper may refer to:*Eucharist, Mass or Communion, a rite in Christianity*The Last Supper, the last meal Jesus of Nazareth shared with his disciples in the collection of Christian Scriptures called The Holy Bible.... |
Sunday, 11am |
| All-age service | 1st and 3rd Sunday of month, 12:30pm |
| Sunday School Sunday school Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in... |
2nd, 4th and 5th Sunday of month, 12:30pm |
| Ladies' Bible Study | 2nd, 4th and 5th Sunday of month, 12:30pm |
| Gospel Gospel A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John... service |
Sunday, 6:30pm |
| Prayer Meeting and Bible Study | Tuesday, 7:45pm |
| Drop-in | Thursday, 10:30am to noon |