Church History

Shoreditch Tabernacle Baptist Church began in 1829 as a humble children’s Sunday School on nearby Curtain Road. In 1836, the congregation moved to Austin Street, and the church’s current site, building “Providence Chapel”.

 

The site was rebuilt in 1879 by William Cuff, a protégé of the renowned Baptist preacher and evangelist Charles Spurgeon, under whose leadership the Shoreditch Tabernacle flourished, being known for hosting the glory of God in a home for people of every class and background.

 

On the night of Sunday December 29th 1940, during an evening service, an intense air raid began. Two bombs fell on the school hall, now the Tab Centre, one landing unexploded in the roof. Young women and men from the service raced to put out the fire and even climb the roof to deactivate one bomb. This event serves as a sign of the church’s resiliency and courage throughout the war years, where local lay-people as well as a line of well-respected ministers continued to serve the broad and diverse community.

 

The church site has changed several times since then, with a 1963 building being demolished in 2015 to make way for what stands today. In partnership with the neighboring Mildmay hospital, the whole site was redeveloped to create a large church building on the main road that is integrated with new residential buildings.

 

The church was finally able to own and enter the building in late 2019, but was held back from using it because of the coronavirus pandemic and national lockdowns. Nevertheless, the grit and perseverance of the Shoreditch Tab has continued to see that our diverse community is reached and served during challenging times. We celebrated the official openeing of the new church building in November 2023.