St Anne’s Limehouse is starting a major new chapter in its history, as it moves towards its tricentenary in 2030. As well as a renovation and restoration program which will allow the church to open up new spaces and make the church more accessible to all visitors, the church aims to better serve the local community by offering space and resource for many different activities – all designed to enrich the lives of residents.
The church is open to visitors Thursday - Saturday (10am - 4pm). Volunteers mind the church Fridays and Saturdays to answer any questions you might have about our history.
This November, St. Anne’s invites the general public to a presentation of our renovation, modernisation & community usage plans for the building and the church yard. All are invited to see our proposals and provide feedback over the weekend 25-27 November 2023. At 4:30pm on Monday, 27th November our architects (Thomas Ford & Partners) and other consultants working with our project, will be making a presentation which will be followed by a Q&A.
Nicholas Hawksmoor’s churches are unlike anything that came before or after. In the words of Sir John Summerson, they challenge us ‘not only by their departure from Wren’s classic models but by a sense of power, of the sheer grandeur of hewn masonry, of primitive form brought into the service of religion’.
Our story begins with foundations laid in a Limehouse meadow during the reign of Queen Anne. It continues as the magnificent church is gutted by fire but arises from the ashes, only to endure centuries of neglect. Today the story is again about rebirth. Care for St Anne’s has commissioned The Master Plan, proposing eight years of renovation and modernisation, leading up to St Anne’s tercentenary in 2030. The work will be underpinned by grant applications and fundraising. We hope our story inspires you to get involved.
Exciting News!
Care for St Anne’s is delighted to announce the win of a R1 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to launch the major capital fundraising campaign, Hawksmoor 300: A Landmark for Limehouse.
The Hawksmoor 300 project aims to impact diverse communities in the area, building an awareness of the extraordinary stories and histories of our C18th building. The ambition is to raise £7m by 2030, to deliver full restoration, step-free access, and the opening of new spaces and churchyard to the community.
Development funding of £613,000 has been awarded by NLHF as the first stage of a total £3.5m over the next 5 years. The remaining £3.5m of our £7m target will be sought from other sources via trusts and foundations, local businesses and private individuals.
Watch this space for further developments. In the meantime we need your support to reach our ambitious fundraising target. Please give generously!