Hall History

In 1938 St Gabriel's Church, Kayll Road, Bishopwearmouth, celebrated its silver jubilee. Although the district had been served by an "iron church" since 1898 (actually corrugated iron, and nicknamed the 'Tin-Tab'), this was intended to be only a temporary structure until a more substantial building could be erected. This latter building, known as the Mission Church, was consecrated on 10th July 1901. St Gabriel's became a parish in its own right in 1904, and its growth was so rapid that very soon a fund was instituted for the building of a larger structure more in keeping with the needs of a parish of 10,000 souls. With the opening of the new church, the Mission Church building became the church hall, a role it still fulfils to this day.

During the Great War St Gabriel's church hall served as the 20th Durham V.A. hospital, and a short history of this period in the life of the parish was included in the silver jubilee booklet. The images below are taken from this section of the booklet.

A photo of the historic plaque is reproduced here.
The original can still be seen in the refurbished
Church Hall & Community Outreach Centre.

My thanks to Alan Vickers for drawing my attention to the existence of this record.

DURHAM 20th V.A. HOSPITAL, ST GABRIEL'S

St Gabriel's Church Hall, Kayll Road, Sunderland