A history of Wallington URC
Wallington United Reformed Church was formed in 1987 through the union of Christ Church and Holmwood Gardens URCs, using the latter premises.
Christ Church in the 1960s. Photo: Mark Donohue/oldukphotos.com
The former Presbyterian Christ Church was the older of the two, being founded in 1881. The traditional Victorian church stood at the corner of Woodcote Road and Stafford Road, dominating Wallington's main crossroads for around 100 years. Following the uniting of the Presybyterian and Congregational traditions in England & Wales to form the United Reformed Church in 1972, Christ Church was closed in 1987, and subsequently demolished in May-June 1992. The site is now occupied by Sainsbury's supermarket.
Holmwood Gardens following the redevelopment. Photo: Chris Jackson
The fellowship that became Wallington & Carshalton Congregational Church was founded in 1907, and following a short period meeting at Hillcrest School, land was acquired in 1908 at the corner of Holmwood Gardens and Stanley Park Road. The foundation stone of the first church building was laid in 1909, and the Holmwood Hall was dedicated in March 1910. This multi-purpose facility continued as both church and hall until the present sanctuary was built in 1927-28, and remains in use as the main hall today.
Further expansion of the Holmwood Gardens premises came in 1938 with the construction of the two-story meeting room block including the vestries, John Williams, Mallinson and Coverdale rooms. A further extension came with the 2003 redevelopment, which saw the construction of a new coffee lounge and toilet block on the site of a former car park, together with the installation of a lift serving all levels and the creation of a new kitchen adjacent to the Holmwood Hall. This £700,000 project was partially funded by Southern Synod using monies raised from the sale of the Christ Church site. Most recently, the roof of the main sanctuary was renewed in 2013-14.