Charities and Missions
Boxing at Mansfield House 1931
Boxing at Mansfield House in 1931. Boxing was one of the many recreational activities encouraged at Fairbairn Hall, Barking Road, run by the Mansfield House Settlement.
Avenons
Avenons Road (seen here in the 1960s) was built on six acres of marsh pasture land that were owned by Nicholas Avenon a merchant tailor of London who died in 1599.
He conveyed to 12 trustees by a deed of 1580, six acres of marsh called Withering's mead. After his death the income from this land was to provide 24 poor persons with a penny loaf each Sunday, with any residue going towards an annual sermon to be preached in the parish church. The charity has had a complex history, with controversy arsing at various times. Development of the land took place between 1881 and 1897 and, when completed, the estate in Avenons Road, Hayday Road, Ingal Road and Denmark Street comprised the sites of about 140 houses, let on building leases.
(Image and text: Newham Heritage Service. More information about Avenon's charity can be found in West Ham 1886 - 1986, published by the London Borough of Newham).
Settlement, Missions, Institutes
Thu, 27/01/2011 - 11:21 — Newham Story BFUNIVERSITY SETTLEMENTS, INSTITUTES, HOSTELS, MISSIONS & CHARITIES IN NEWHAM - A Brief History.
Background.
Mansfield House, Dockland Settlements and Canning Town Women's Settlement were the largest and best known. Trinity College Oxford Mission and St. Helen's Women's Settlement were in Stratford. They are all part of the Newham Story and each is a story in its own right.
The Settlement movement began in the East End in 1884 with Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel. Universities and public schools gave money, personnel and backing to 'settle' students in residential communities and build a range of centres and halls at the heart of urban poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Locally, they provided a centre for social activities with thousands taking part in the sporting, health, educational and social programmes. Clinics and hospitals, nurseries and sports fields, social clubs and advice centres sprang from them. They spread out to include country and sea-side centres for recreation or convalescence
Five Settlements were established in the old County Borough of West Ham in Canning Town, Plaistow and Stratford. Three were Anglican foundations and, unusually, two were Free Church (Congregational).
University Settlements
Here is a summary of the University Settlements. Some records and pictures- particularly of Mansfield House and Canning Town Women's Settlement are in the Newham archives. Mansfield House has fuller notes here to illustrate the scope, development and decline of local Settlements. Separate notes on the Docklands Settlement are available.
Docklands Settlement
Christian enterprise on one site in Canning Town has a history dating back to 1894, and which, at its peak, had 10,000 people belonged to the clubs, sporting activities, nursery schools and church.
Given-Wilson
GIVEN-WILSON INSTITUTE 1912-1970s.
Founded by and named after Thomas Given-Wilson (d. 1916) the vicar of St. Mary's, Plaistow E13. In 1886 he established a welfare clinic and nursery. St Mary's Nurses in Howard's and St Mary's Hospital for women and children in London Road and Upper Road had its origins in this mission work (the site being given by Given-Wilson and Revd. Henry Blisset).
(Text: Colin Marchant Faith Flows Project 2010 with additional text by Newham Heritage & Archives. Image: Matthew Crisp)
Anchor House
ANCHOR HOUSE Barking Road, Canning Town E16 was opened in 1962 by the Roman Catholic Apostolate of the Sea as a hostel for seamen and is now there for the homeless. It is built on the site of the site of the former Lees Hall (Canning Town Women's Settlement) and adjoining properties.
(Text: Colin Marchant: Faith Flows Project 2010, with addition information by Newham Heritage & Archives; Photo: Matthew Crisp)
Mansfield House
MANSFIELD HOUSE has been based in Plaistow from 1889 and has provided community activities and social support since that time.
Aston Charities Trust
For nearly half a century ASTON CHARITIES TRUST has been in engaged in social action and has been providing community services to the people of Newham.
Canning Town Womens Settlement Banner (Yellow)
Yellow banner with the words Canning Town Womens Settlement P.S.A. 1892 and the design of two hands in a leaf in the centre, with a background design of flowerheads and a brown border on a wooden pole. (P.S.A. stands for Pleasant Sunday Afternoon)
