125 YEARS OF ST BARNABAS CHURCH

The story of the Church is closely linked to that of The Shrubbery next door. One of the grand houses on the edge of Clapham Common, The Shrubbery was built in the 1790s and enlarged in the 1840s. As London expanded it became part of the built-up area and, in 1885, was sold to the Vicar of Battersea and used as a school.

The parish was formed in 1895. There was already a building in Rush Hill Road (St Matthew's, opened in 1877 and not finally abandoned until 1941) but it was felt that something more substantial was needed. St Barnabas' was built in the grounds of The Shrubbery and opened in 1898.

In 2023, we celebrated the 125th year since our consecration as the parish of Clapham Common with various events spreading across 125 Days of Celebration.

125 LEGACY FUND

Celebrating 125 years of our history is not just about looking backwards. Grateful for everything that has brought us to this point and thankful for the blessings of everything we have inherited here, we are responding with three projects which we hope will leave a legacy for the St Barnabas Church of the future.  Deepening our commitment to being an eco church, we hope that installing solar panels on the roof, fitting LED lights throughout the church and refurbishing the toilets, will equip St Barnabas to continue being an effective church many years from now.

This is our 125 Legacy and our fundraising target to complete these projects is - guess what - £125,000 which we plan to raise through a mixture of gift days, fundraising, grants and reserves. You can donate anytime using the DONATE button and using the reference 125.