The history of St George's Church

The church and associated buildings surrounded by the Capital West development have some history associated with them. Here is a timeline of events extracted from various publications within the Brentford and Chiswick libraries, and the London Metropolitan Archives. Where possible reference sources have been quoted in italics. The timeline runs in chronological order:

• 1762 - George's chapel was founded as an unconsecrated chapelry by 57 prominent residents of Old Brentford for their own use.
  Brentford Past by Gillain Clegg
• 1766 - A brick building was put up on the site designed by John Joshua Kirby, the father of Mrs Sarah Trimmer. Although the chapel was the private property of the shareholders it was licensed for Divine Service in connection with the Church of England. Brentford Past by Gillain Clegg
• 1786 - The Green School is founded by Mrs Sarah Trimmer.
  Page 31, The Life and Works of Sarah Trimmer by D.M. Yarde, The Hounslow and District History Society
  This building is known as the Grade II listed St George's Church Hall
  Department of the Environment List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, London Borough of Hounslow.
• 1828 - The building is consecrated as St George's Church when it became a separate ecclesiastical district.
  Brentford Past by Gillain Clegg
• 1840 - Thomas Layton, later benefactor of the church tower, becomes a churchwarden at St George's Church.
  Page 18, Brentford & Chiswick Local History journal, Number 9
• 1861 - The first church is closed to burials, which are now undertaken at Ealing and Old Brentford Cemetary, South Ealing Road.
• 1885 - Faculty document signed to demolish the original church and replace it with the current building on the same site. To review a transcription of the document click here.
  Document DRO/59/50/2 London Metropolitan Archives
• 1886 - The first church demolished and work begins on consruction of the current building.
• 1887 - The second and current St George's church, built to a design of A.W. Blomfield with seating for 600 and without a tower, is completed. The image here shows the church without the tower, c 1905
  Click on the image for a larger one.
  Page 29, Brentford, The Archive Photographs Series by Carolyn and Peter Hammond
• 1913 - The tower is added. This was partially paid for from the £1000 left left for a peal of bells by a parishioner, Thomas Layton (1819-1911), previously the chairman of Brentford Local Board and later of Brentford Urban District Council. It was originally intended that the tower should be surmounted by a spire but this was never built.
  Page 29, Brentford, The Archive Photographs Series by Carolyn and Peter Hammond
• 1959 - St George's closed as a parish church.
  Page 30, Brentford, The Archive Photographs Series by Carolyn and Peter Hammond
• 1961 - St Paul's Brentford becomes the principal church in the area, St George's and St Lawrence churches become redundant. The Last Supper by local painter Johann Zoffany is moved from St George's to St Pauls.
• 1963 - St George's begins its use as a museum for mechanical musical instruments.
  Page 30, Brentford, The Archive Photographs Series by Carolyn and Peter Hammond

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