Bethnal Green Mission Church

The BGMC community was established in 1868 as a response to poverty and deprivation in the East End of London – the church came later. This principle of community and service ‘first’ is at the centre of how the church runs, and how the building is designed. In the midst of a housing crisis in London, building housing above a church not only embeds the church within the physical city, but crucially funds the faith and community spaces below. This provides a new model for how churches can grow and develop with the scarce resources within inner city communities.

Externally, the building is civic in nature defined by precast concrete pilasters and beams. These are infilled with either pale brick in a raking monk bond or form open terraces. Stained glass in double height slot windows, facing Paradise Gardens, demarcate the presence of the church at the heart of the plan. The coloured glass is hand blown and hand cut, full of blemishes and imperfections; where the panes meet, these inaccuracies allow bright white light to shine into the space. Against the road, precast portals frame the bronze latticework gates of the main entrance.

Internally, the church becomes a still, quiet centre away from the noise of the city. This sacred space leaches into the rest of the building: the deep diagrid concrete ceiling beams transfer into the adjoining spaces, whilst the clerestories share light with the adjacent offices. The volume of community halls; a set of ‘L’ shaped spaces designed to scoop light and air from above, is defined by the presence of the church. A community-run café mediates between the church and the street, softening the threshold, and helping locals access the services and rest promised within.