History of Bow Baptist Church
The church is new yet also old, founded in 1785, its constitution written by a group of eight men led by John Knott on 21st June 1785. This date makes the church just 9 years younger than the United States of America and about 4 years older than the French Revolution. In those days Bow was a village outside London in the county of Middlesex...
William Newman was pastor 1795-1837, a very long time in that day (and now!).
The foundation stone for the third chapel (sadly lost by developers in the latest demolition) was laid by the famous London preacher, Charles Spurgeon.
In 1935 a booklet was written to commemorate the 150th Anniversary
This was the church's interior between 1866 and 1940. It was a large Victorian building seating nearly one thousand people.
In 1940 during World War II, however, the church was bombed along with much of East London and not rebuilt until 1956 with limited post-war money.
Bob Spencer attended the church in the 1940s. His recollections are recorded here
Below is the church as it was from 1956 to 2007, an image of the inside taken in 1960, then one from 1985 when the church celebrated its 200th anniversary...
Here is an image taken in 2011 of the development underway...
