Arthur Percy Jackson self published a small history of Saint Lukes a copy of which is included in the George Payne collection (presented by Mrs Payne) held at Bromley Historic Collections. Arthur Percy Jackson MA Magdalen College Oxford was a solicitor in practice in London but he resided at Bromley Common and was one of a group of Evangelical members of the Church of England which brought to the parish boundary a metal church referred to as Christ Church Bromley which was sited on land at the junction of Hayes Lane and Homesdale Road.
In the introduction to his account he ends with "I must unfotunately be very egotistical. I must be somewhat personal" and certainly there were many in Bromley who were unhappy about his history. Despite his comments about people his is the authoritative narrative about the creation of a new Anglican Church and parish to serve the Bromley Town end of Bromley Common and two separate districts of new housing. His account informs Horsburgh's 1929 "Bromley from the earliest times to the present century" and is therefore a permanent history of church and parish.
The developing population of housing along Bromley Common in streets was in two districts with no connection apart from the main road due to the life occupancy of Mrs Treadwell. The Bromley Common Post Office marked a point wich served both districts and was to the rear adjacent to Mrs Treadwell's land. In 1870 the Building Land Company bought up land and developed streets of housing from the Crown to a footpath (now part of Southlands Road). This development was in addition to the earlier development of houses from Homesdale and Great Elms on the former common land known as Shooting Common and when developed Havelock Road and Great Elms were called "Long Shots" Nelson Road was called "Short Shots" indicative of the positions or archery targets which gave rise to the name Shooting Common for that area of common land decades and a century earlier. In passing it is worth mentioning the military training and billeting of troops which is frequently recorded in both the 18th and 19th century parish registers.
The Ecclesiastical parish for Bromley Common from 1843 was Holy Trinity church which was at the far end of Bromley Common from Bromley Town. The advocates of Christ Church Bromley as a temporary Mission Church were therefore somewhat at odds with the Ancient Parish and Holy Trinity and eventually Christ Church lost patronage and the metal church was removed. Jackson probably at his most offensive spends a good deal of time making clear his distance from local Church of England clergy and his (and other like minded people) that the teaching of christian faith in Board Schools was unacceptable to those in Bromley. There was a clearly recognised need that the growth in Bromley Commons two divided districts could not be met by eith the town parish church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul or by Holy Trinity. Even more pressing was the need for local education for a new generation.
It is difficult for twenty first century Bromley people to conceive that in order to leave Chatterton Road to visit an address in Havelock Road it was necessary to travel to and along the main road to Homesdale Road and then enter the other district to reach Havelock Road. This was however the position as a result of the Treadwell land and the refusal of Mrs Treadwell to permit development on the land. This view was not shared by the reversionary owners of the land and a protracted Chancery law suit ensued.
The question of locating a permanent school to serve the two districts was problematic.The school at the rear of Holy Trinity Church was too far away for small children to attend. Jackson and others proposed to serve one of the districts with an Infant school on land at Addison Road. They formed a group of which Jackson became Treasurer and raised funds to construct Addison Road Schools. The group erected a metal school building which provided education for infants. This development lay outside the scope of the National Schools and public concern about the facilities led Jackson to canvass every household in both districts. The outcome of this was although willing to support a permanent school local residents were overwhelming in supporting a School Board. Jackson and other like minded evangelical Church of England members resisted this and his book contains a good deal of his opposition to the School Board. The matter was put to an election and on the 5 May 1888 the School Board was elected. Jackson's group were elected equally the group representing Bromley Town were successful. The School Board, which he criticises at length,went on to develop Raglan Road School which still serves the district and Addison Road Schools which survived until 1936.
Jackson was solicitor to the Board and the Treadwell land had become subject to a Chancery case which as chancery cases did showed no sign of resolution.The building of Raglan Road Schools necessitated the extension of Raglan Road on one side and Chatteron Road on the other to unite both districts.Jackson clams in his account that this was the single most important thing up to that time that had been done for residents.
The need for a church had also encountered two legal disputes firstly about patronage (which had closed Christ Church) and secondly acquisition of a site. Jackson acted as solicitor for the Committee for the much needed church. The question of patronage was complex but Jackson progressed a solution that three trustees would hold patronage for the church until they would transfer their functions to the Archbishp of Canterbury.
The site problem was resoved when Jackson proposed that the Treadwell Chancery case be stayed in order that the Reversioners of the Treadwell Estates take a lease on the exact piece of land for a new road (later Southlands Road) and the land for a church. This proposal was finally accepted by all parties. In November 1885 the land was thus secured and the plans of architect Arthur Cawston were executed. The Archbishop of Canterbury laid the foundation stone on 31 July 1886 in a ceremony he personally devised.The church was dedicated 10 April 1890. Jackson records the fury of Committee members at the discovery that without informing them the architect had made the pillars in the first portion of the church "too large" and therefore built the remainder smaller. This is a feature to the present day.
The order in Council signed by the Queen created the parish in May 1889 and at this time the Archbishop of Canterbury assumed patronage.
Jackson had been Organist and Choir Master previously at Christ Church. He secured the organ from Lewis of Brixton and was Organist and founder of Saint Lukes Choral Society.Due to health problems he gave up his role as Honorary Organist and Choirmaster on Easter Sunday 1892.
Due to the restricted site the parish had no burial ground and the number of burials was too great to continue at Holy Trinity. In 1893 a Burial Board was able to purchase the land to form Saint Luke's Cemetery Two third of the planned two chapels and superintendents lodge had been completed before the consecration on 25 July 1894. For this reason all burial records are kept by the local authority and there are no records at Bromley Historic Collections.
The deposited church registers for baptisms commence in 1887 and these have been transcribed for Kent Online Parish Clerks for 1887-1906 and contain 2400 entries. The transcript will be available online at Kent Online Parish Clerks Bromley page in due course.
© Henry Mantell Downe and Farnborough Online Parish Clerk 2013-2019
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