The St. Barnabas Hall was built before the church, and had its foundation stone laid in 1908 by Princess Louise Augusta. The inscription stone, seen on the south wall, says:
“This stone was laid by HH Princess Louise Augusta of Schleswig Holstein 11 July 1908”.
This OS map from 1911 shows the hall at the western edge of the Gorringe Park estate, onto which was later built the church, and housing.
The hall was used for various clubs such as the St. Barnabas’ Mixed Club (as listed in the 1949 Youth Club Handbook). The photo below was sent in by Mick Coe, who writes:
This photo is in my late grandfather’s photo album. I have identified the building as St Barnabas church and I believe that a boys club was attached to it in the 1920’s, as my late father attended it. I believe that he attended reunions as late as the 1970s with someone named Edser. He never mentioned whether the boys wore a uniform or not. Any information would be gratefully received.
Please leave a comment if you have more information.
Mitcham History Notes 