Naming the Church and First Construction

He was soon at work, however. One of his first tasks was to settle on the dedication of the Church, and acting on an idea from Dr. Milner-White (later Dean of York) he suggested a commemoration of a 19th century Anglican clergyman, the poet and reformer, John Keble. The Bishop and people in Mill Hill welcomed the unusual suggestion but it caused raised eyebrows in Westminster. Mr. Gibbs-Smith has recalled, 'I had to tell the Rural Dean of Westminster that unless his Rural Deanery could reconcile themselves to the name of John Keble, I would sooner renounce their adoption than change the name to St. Peter as they wanted me to do. This determined attitude persuaded them to agree, but I had to risk losing their financial support . With the centenary of Keble's Assize Sermon close at hand, the distinctiveness of the dedication was to be appropriate, as well as typical of much of the subsequent life of the church.

The earliest records of the church were strictly practical; they were donations recorded by the priest- in-charge in a soft covered 2d. blue cashbook, pending the appointment of a treasurer; the earliest recorded gift was of 15/6d on September 15th, 1931.

Within a few months enough had been raised to purchase a building contractor's hut as a temporary base of activity and so, on January 16th, 1932, Thompson, Bayliss & Co. provided John Keble with its first church at a cost of £35 5s. Od. The hut was moved into position on the site purchased by the Diocese in Deans Lane, and on the weekend of February 27th/28th the life of John Keble Church was born.

The Bishop of Willesden came to dedicate the Hut and Judge Shewell-Cooper to lay the Foundation Stone of a dual purpose Half-Church which was to be the first permanent building on the site, and due to be completed by July of that year. The following day services began in the Hut. (The hut has recently been replaced with what is now the Baden-Powell Centre).

The electric atmosphere of the first few weeks and months can perhaps only be fully appreciated by those who were there to enjoy the thrill of the pioneering work. "Do you remember that first night in the Hut?" one member of the congregation later wrote. "The squash, the heat, and expectancy and the Harmonium squeezed into an incredibly small space beside the altar." Mr. Gibbs-Smith was called Padre by the congregation (since he was not legally Vicar-yet) and addressed his first congregations with enthusiasm, wandering up and down the narrow aisle between the chairs as he preached. (There was no pulpit or anything to keep him in, it was explained later.)

After only a fortnight, the number of worshippers had exceeded the limited capacity of the Hut. On March 13th two Evensongs were held, one at 6 p.m., the other at 7 p.m., and a few weeks later a large tent was added to the end of the Hut in order to cater for still more who came. As the Hall-Church dual-purpose building took shape so also did modest semidetached houses in neighbouring closes and crescents. The parish was growing with its church.
 

The Dual Purpose Building