St Alban's Church, Dartford , Kent

St Alban's Church, Dartford Church

Image Source: Rob Baker

This low-slung long white brick building sits neatly among the streets of Victorian terraced houses in the Newtown area of Dartford. Built in 1880 as a Mission Hall to Dartford's town centre Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, St. Alban's was enlarged in 1902 and became a separate parish in its own right in 1903. The enlargements included a new south aisle and additional rooms built to the south-east which were used as a Sunday School. The altar has since been moved to the north side of the church. The chancel has been partitioned off to make a seperate chapel / prayer room, with its own altar and brass lectern. This works to good effect, and the room today has the atmosphere of a quiet and reflective prayer space. The stained-glass windows date from the early 20th century. There is also a small rose window at the west end, positioned underneath the bellcote, which holds a single bell. The modern alterations to the church were funded by the sale of the Parish Hall diagonally opposite the church. This was built in 1911 and is now the home to a Buddhist Wat and Vietnamese Community Centre. St. Alban's also possesses several moderm paintings which are actually beautiful interpretations of Biblical narratives. These were all painted by local artist Simon Reid, and can be found hanging on various walls of the church. The war memorial outside the church is Grade II listed. Unusually it contains no names of the fallen, but inside the church hanging on the western wall close to the entrance is a large carved memorial board with a couple of hundred names. This is a poignant reminder that this has always been a densely populated parish, and the large number of WWI victims is reflective of that. In 2015 parishioner Denis Rayment constructed a detailed history of the servicemen from the Parish who fought for King and Country in the First World War and did not return. Today St. Alban's maintains a small but committed congregation and offers visitors a friendly welcome. Text by Rob Baker

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: Not built

Morning Attendance: Not built

Afternoon Attendance: Not built

Evening Attendance: not built

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: 1880

Restoration:

Second Restoration:

Notes

Website

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