St George's German Lutheran Church
Encyclopedia
St George's German Lutheran Church is a church in Alie Street, Whitechapel
.
From its founding in 1762 until 1996 it was used by German Lutherans
. It then became the headquarters of the Historic Chapels Trust. The church is still used for organ recitals.
St George's was the fifth Lutheran church to be built in London. It is now the oldest surviving German Lutheran church in the UK. At the time, the street was called "Little Ayliffe Street" and the area was called "Goodman's Fields". The name of the street changed to "Alie Street" about 1800.
The founder was Dietrich Beckman, a wealthy sugar refiner. Beckman's cousin, Gustav Anton Wachsel from Halberstadt
, became the first pastor. This area of Whitechapel had many sugar refiners of German descent in the nineteenth century and they constituted most of the congregation. From 1853 the churchyard and crypt were closed, and no longer accepted burials. At its height, there were an estimated 16,000 German Lutherans in Whitechapel. The last major influx of Germans was in the 1930s, when refugees fled the Nazis. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
preached here for a brief period in 1935. The wooden pews, complete with swing doors, remain intact.
attempted to travel to the islands of St John and St Croix
. Unfortunately the officer in charge abandoned them in London with no money or resources. They had no knowledge of English. The same Gustav Anton Wachsel who was pastor of the church appealed for help on their behalf. The tower of London gave them 200 tents to protect them form the rain, and there were charitable continutions of 600 pounds. King George III
intervened and enabled them to travel to Carolina instead (at that time British territory).
's "Die Leute von Seldwyla". In autumn 1995 there was a break in. The burglars possibly did not know the value of the books. None were taken but the Historical Chapel Association decided it would be safer to donate them to the British Library
.
There are books and michrofiches available for bapitisms 1763 - 1895.
The organ was built in 1886 by the Walcker
family. They used the organ case of the previous organ (John England, 1794). When the organ was rebuilt in 1937, the case was reused.
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
.
From its founding in 1762 until 1996 it was used by German Lutherans
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
. It then became the headquarters of the Historic Chapels Trust. The church is still used for organ recitals.
St George's was the fifth Lutheran church to be built in London. It is now the oldest surviving German Lutheran church in the UK. At the time, the street was called "Little Ayliffe Street" and the area was called "Goodman's Fields". The name of the street changed to "Alie Street" about 1800.
The founder was Dietrich Beckman, a wealthy sugar refiner. Beckman's cousin, Gustav Anton Wachsel from Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
, became the first pastor. This area of Whitechapel had many sugar refiners of German descent in the nineteenth century and they constituted most of the congregation. From 1853 the churchyard and crypt were closed, and no longer accepted burials. At its height, there were an estimated 16,000 German Lutherans in Whitechapel. The last major influx of Germans was in the 1930s, when refugees fled the Nazis. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
preached here for a brief period in 1935. The wooden pews, complete with swing doors, remain intact.
The St John and St Croix refugees
In 1763 about 600 Germans from the Palatines and WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
attempted to travel to the islands of St John and St Croix
Spanish Virgin Islands
The Spanish Virgin Islands, formerly called the Passage Islands and also known as the Puerto Rican Virgin Islands, are part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, located east of the main island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican tourist literature uses the name Spanish Virgin Islands, but most general...
. Unfortunately the officer in charge abandoned them in London with no money or resources. They had no knowledge of English. The same Gustav Anton Wachsel who was pastor of the church appealed for help on their behalf. The tower of London gave them 200 tents to protect them form the rain, and there were charitable continutions of 600 pounds. King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
intervened and enabled them to travel to Carolina instead (at that time British territory).
The St George's German church book collection
Gustav von Anton's collection of books were kept in the vestry and found themselves in the care of the Historic Chapels Trust, together with later additions to the library. They amounted to about 750 books, including early eighteenth-century prints of the "Waisenhaus in Halle" and Gottfried KellerGottfried Keller
Gottfried Keller , a Swiss writer of German-language literature, was best known for his novel Green Henry .- Life and work :...
's "Die Leute von Seldwyla". In autumn 1995 there was a break in. The burglars possibly did not know the value of the books. None were taken but the Historical Chapel Association decided it would be safer to donate them to the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
.
There are books and michrofiches available for bapitisms 1763 - 1895.
The organ was built in 1886 by the Walcker
Walcker Orgelbau
Walcker Orgelbau of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is a builder of pipe organs. It was founded in Cannstatt, a suburb of Stuttgart in 1780 by Johann Eberhard Walcker...
family. They used the organ case of the previous organ (John England, 1794). When the organ was rebuilt in 1937, the case was reused.
External references
- www.hct.org.uk St Georges at the Historic Chapels Trust
- History of the Walcker family
- Germans in Whitechapel
- the St John refugees
- The British Library collection of books from St George's