In the 1860s Heath St Baptist Church, Hampstead, had a very lively “Home Mission” group. On 4th September, 1865 a Mr William Rickard came to spearhead this mission work. J Sylvester Poulton (the second pastor at Childs hill Baptist Church) records
Apparently at this time Childs hill was notorious for drunkenness, cock-fighting and everything that was bad. It was still really a village and Granville Road (or ‘The Old Mead’ as it was then) was often so muddy that tradesmen would have to leave their carts in Cricklewood Lane (or Child Hill Lane as it was then) and walk down to the laundries and houses to deliver their goods.“Mr Rickard had only engaged in evangelistic work on Hampstead Heath for a few weeks, when, coming over to Childs Hill one day he found a large contingent of labouring men working in connection with the construction of the new Midland Railway, in addition to the usual inhabitants. He saw at once that here was a unique opportunity for working for his Lord and Master, and so, with the cordial consent and the prayers of the Heath St Church, Mr Rickard began open-air meetings where the chapel now stands. And in October of the same year, he began house to house visitation.”
On 8th April, 1866 twelve people met in a small upper room at the “Model Laundry” in Granville Road for a Sunday evening service. On 20th May the Sunday School started, with 16 children meeting in Mr Elphick’s Laundry, again in Granville Road. This proved very successful and within two years some 145 children attended.
Throughout these early days the main workers were members of Heath Street but slowly people from Childs Hill itself began to become more involved until the actual formation of the church in 1877.
