Re-opening of St Luke's Church with New Undercroft

14/09/07

The Bishop of Kensington has opened and dedicated the new undercroft at St Luke's Church, Redcliffe Gardens, which now has a new space to be used by people of all ages within the local community.

The celebration was attended by over 300 people including many parents and children from Redcliffe Lower School as well as the school Governors, three local Ward Councillors, the Deputy Mayor of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Diocese of London's Property Department, the Archdeacon of Middlesex as well as the church's congregation and neighbours of St Luke's, who all enjoyed the celebration.

When St Luke's was first built in 1872, the original designs contained plans for a crypt beneath the church, where supporting pillars had been created 18 feet beneath the ground, however the crypt was never completed. Over the past few years, the number of activities within the church has grown considerably and the church could no longer cater for the sheer volume of groups using it for a variety of services and events. It was found that an expansion was necessary and the overhaul of the undercroft would provide the perfect space for the new facilities required.

The undercroft now caters for the space needed and includes a prayer room, a large hall with capacity for 250 people, a state-of-the-art kitchen, accommodation for the church verger, offices and other small meeting rooms. As well as the Redcliffe Lower School leasing space in the new undercroft, many rooms are available to hire by the local community, and could be used for wedding receptions, meetings, music practice and more, as per the demand.

The Revd Bill Heald said:

"The congregation here at St Luke's is delighted with the wonderful new facilities now available. There has been a need for this space for a number of years and we are sure that the undercroft will now be used to its full capacity."

The Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Michael Colclough said:

"The re-opening of St Luke's parish church has been welcomed by the local community, providing a space for God in a crowded and busy world. The opening of the undercroft is an exciting development for St Luke's Church, which will allow the parish to form new relationships with the local community."