St Columba's Church, London
Encyclopedia
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...
congregations of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
. The church building is located in Pont Street
Pont Street
Pont Street is a fashionable street in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, central London, England, not far from the Knightsbridge department store Harrods to the north-west. The street crosses Sloane Street in the middle, with Beauchamp Place to the west and Cadogan Place, and Chesham Place, to the east,...
, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, near Harrod's department store.
The presence of Scottish Presbyterianism in 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...
dates back to the Union of the Crowns
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, and the consequential unification of Scotland and England under one monarch. The Union of Crowns followed the death of James' unmarried and childless first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of...
in 1603. A congregation was established near what is now Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, with a permanent church later being built in Crown Court near Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. This church is still in use, although rebuilt. The growth in the Scottish community in London resulted in the need for a larger church than Crown Court Church
Crown Court Church
A Scottish Presbyterian congregation was first established in London during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scots, following the Union of the Crowns in 1603...
alone could accommodate. The original St Columba's Church building of 1884 was destroyed by wartime bombing
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
during the night of 10 May 1941. It was rebuilt on the same site in 1958 to a striking contemporary design by the architect Sir Edward Maufe
Edward Maufe
Sir Edward Brantwood Maufe KBE, R.A, F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect and designer, noted chiefly for his work on places of worship and remembrance memorials. He was a skilled interior designer and designed many pieces of furniture...
, who also designed Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
. The church is named after Saint Columba
Saint Columba
-Saints:* Columba , Irish Christian saint who evangelized Scotland* Columba the Virgin, also known as Saint Columba of Cornwall* Columba of Sens* Columba of Spain* Columba of Terryglass* Sancta Columba -Schools:...
.
The dance society London Reels meets at St Columba's once a month from September to May to dance Highland Reels
Scottish country dance
A Scottish country dance is a form of social dance involving groups of mixed couples of dancers tracing progressive patterns according to a predetermined choreography...
.
Ministry
The previous minister, the Rev Barry Dunsmore, moved to the Church of Scotland congregation in Bermuda in 2009. Since then, St Columba's has been without a permanent minister. As of 2011, the Very Reverend John B. CairnsJohn B. Cairns
John Ballantyne Cairns is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland.Following a career as a solicitor, he studied theology and was ordained in 1974. His first charge was as minister at the parishes of Langholm, Ewes and Westerkirk. He then became minister at Riverside Parish Church, Dumbarton...
is serving as locum minister.
Moderators
There have been Three Ministers of St. Columba's who have held the office as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland:- Very Rev. Robin F. V. Scott, 1956
- Very Rev. J. Fraser McLuskeyJ. Fraser McLuskeyJames Fraser McLuskey, MC was an Edinburgh born Padre who fought with the Special Air Service in World War II...
, 1983 - Very Rev. John H. McIndoeJohn McIndoe (Moderator)John H. McIndoe is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland. He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1996.-Background and career:...
, 1996
See also
- Church of ScotlandChurch of ScotlandThe Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
- List of Church of Scotland parishes
- List of churches in London
- Nordic churches in LondonNordic churches in LondonThere are several long-established Nordic churches in London. All seek to provide Lutheran Christian worship and pastoral care to their respective national communities in their own languages...