The Memorial Baptist Church

389 – 395 Barking Road, Plaistow. Newham.

Grade II. 1921 – 1922 by William Hayne.

The church was built as part of the West Ham Central Mission (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was their Patron and visited the church many times) and is a memorial to the men from the local community who were killed in the First World War. The congregation numbers over 300 with about 160 people each Sunday, a lot of them young families. The Baptists have joined with a local Christian evangelical congregation which used to rent the local St. Andrew’s church (now sold). An Ethiopian church also uses the building. The church seats about 800. There are some magnificent memorial bells in the bell tower and a total immersion baptistery. The building is very well built and has many meeting rooms which are used for community welfare work, they want to make the building sound so that they can increase their welfare work. English Heritage have offered a grant for high level restoration to prevent water ingress on the North West Tower. The brickwork has crumbled due to the use of hard cement. The total cost for all the work is £200,000, and English Heritage have offered a grant of £132,000. They have raised £2,500 locally so far. The Trust has offered £3,000 towards repairing the exterior brickwork.