The Vineyard Life Church, Richmond

The Vineyard Life Church, Richmond, which is a member of the Evangelical Alliance, was formed in 2013 as the result of a merger between Richmond Borough Church and The Vineyard Church, Richmond. It meets in a 19th-century church building located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The congregation run a community centre, a food bank and a charity shop, and also use the building as a music venue for young people.

History of the building

The church building, with a gallery, was designed by John Davies (1796–1865) for the Anglican parish: it opened in 1831, to seat a congregation of 500 to 600. It was rebuilt in 1851 after a fire. The church is built in Norman style, in grey brick, with a distinctive porch.

It was attended by Harold Wilson, with his wife Mary, during his term in office as British Prime Minister; and Lady Stansgate, mother of the Labour MP Tony Benn, was a parishioner during the 1940s.

Between 1971 and 1972, future British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his friend Al Collenette held weekly discos at the church.

References

External links

• The Vineyard Life Church website
• Vineyard Community Centre website
• Richmond's Congregational Church in The Vineyard: articles on the Richmond Local History Society's website