The Church of the Good Shepherd is inviting Lee Manor Society supporters to a ceremony to celebrate the new Church wall on the Wantage Road side, which has finally been rebuilt (and looks fantastic).
The Church Warden James Murdoch promises a short ceremony followed by refreshments. A plaque will be unveiled marking the occasion and crediting everyone involved with the rebuild.
The picture above shows the first church built in 1881. The new wall is an exact replica of the original.
According to the website “Running Past” the Victorian Church was built after the parish of St Margaret was sub-divided into four following the massive population expansion of Lee as a result of the new railway.
The Good Shepherd Church was funded by Lord Northbrook (the aristocrat, not the pub!) and was a “Chapel of Ease” rather than a Parish church . It was designed by Ernest Newton who also designed Lochaber Hall and several other local buildings.
It was more less destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1941 and wasn’t rebuilt in its current form until 1957.
