All Saints

West Ham, Church Street, Newham.

Grade I

This magnificent church was founded in Saxon times and rebuilt in the 12th century, with various Tudor, Georgian and Victorian additions. It is unusually large for a parish church and at one point was on the short-list of churches under consideration to be the cathedral of Essex. Among the numerous interesting monuments within the church are two to Lord Mayors of London. Today the church stands at the heart of a poor and very mixed East End community. Two years ago the church spent £500,000 to replace the roof – they received no lottery money for this and had to sell the last parish property to pay for the work. They must now undertake urgent repairs to the north turret. Constructed of Tudor brickwork with an internal brick and masonry stair with wood supports, it once gave access onto the top of the rood screen, offering lepers access to the services below. The wooden planks under the steps have rotted, serious cracks have formed in the walls, and the structure is unsafe. The repairs are estimated to cost £25,000, and the Trust has offered a grant of £3,000 towards these essential repairs.