Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady Help of Christians

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady Help of Christians stands on Lady Margaret Road in Kentish Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is a Gothic Revival building from the mid-nineteenth century that began life as a Methodist chapel and now serves a Catholic parish. For anyone interested in architecture, it is a good example of Victorian Nonconformist church building.

How did the church come to be built?

The building went up in the 1860s, dated in records to roughly 1864-67, to designs by John Tarring. Tarring was an architect associated with large Nonconformist churches, so the building was conceived as a spacious hall able to hold big congregations. For more than a century it served Methodist worshippers.

Why did a Methodist chapel become a Catholic church?

The Catholic parish in Kentish Town traces its roots to 1846, when Rev. Hardinge Ivers, an Anglican clergyman who had converted to Catholicism, built a small temporary chapel near his home in Gospel Terrace. A permanent church planned for Highgate Road was never finished. In 1859 a church on Fortess Road, designed by E. W. Pugin, finally opened.

In time the congregation outgrew that building. In the late 1960s an exchange was agreed with the Methodists, and the Catholics took over the chapel on Lady Margaret Road. Under the parish priest Fr George Stack, the interior was refurbished and adapted for Catholic worship by the architects Burles & Newton. Cardinal Basil Hume opened the church in 1970.

What stands out in the architecture?

The church is built in a Gothic style. Its walls are Kentish rag laid as random rubble, with freestone dressings. The west front is marked by a gabled central doorway, and a tower topped with a spire rises at the north-west corner. That spire is a visible landmark in the neighbourhood.

The north side has three gabled bays strengthened by buttresses, each with two traceried windows that correspond to the galleries inside. Within, pine galleries run along three sides, carried on ornamented cast-iron columns. This arrangement is typical of Nonconformist chapels, which were designed to seat as many worshippers as possible.

Is the building protected?

Yes. It has been Grade II listed since 14 May 1974. Its ragstone elevations and spire contribute to the character of the Kentish Town Conservation Area.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the church? On Lady Margaret Road in Kentish Town, in the London Borough of Camden, at roughly 51.5517 N, 0.1375 W.

Who designed it? John Tarring produced the original design. Burles & Newton handled the adaptation for Catholic use around the turn of the 1970s.

Is it still an active church? Yes, it is the home of the Catholic parish of Our Lady Help of Christians in Kentish Town.

Is it worth going inside? If Victorian interiors appeal to you, yes: the timber galleries and cast-iron columns are the highlights. It is a working parish church, so plan your visit around services.

Who is it for?

It suits visitors who enjoy finding less obvious corners of London, anyone interested in the history of church architecture, and walkers exploring Camden who want something beyond the usual tourist stops. It combines easily with a stroll around Kentish Town and its surrounding streets.