|
The Church
A Listed Grade II building, St
George's dates from 1762-3 and is the oldest German church
in Britain. The congregation was founded by Dederich
Beckmann, a wealthy sugar boiler and cousin of the first
pastor. It served as a religious centre for generations of
German immigrants who worked in the East End sugar
refineries and in the meat and baking trades until the First
World War.
Inside,
the church retains a remarkable and mostly original series
of furnishings. These include a complete set of ground floor
and gallery pews and a magnificent, high, central
double-decker pulpit and sounding board. On the wall above
hangs the coat-of-arms of King George III (pre-1801) and two
carved timber Commandment Boards in German. The Royal Arms,
once enjoined to be erected in all Anglican churches, and
adopted by others as a mark of loyalty, also recall a
connection with the Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen
Victoria, who was Patron of the adjacent German and English
schools from 1819. There are 18th and l9th-century memorials
and stained glass of great interest and a fine German
Walcker organ.
Visit the Historic Chapels Trust web site at http://www.hct.org.uk/chapel13stgeorges.html
for which we are indebted for this information and
picture. |
