From 1841 to 1851, the population of Paddington increased on the average,
_above two thousand one hundred per annum_; and the bishop’s rents
increased in due proportion; but as the newcomers were almost all
strangers to the parish, they had never, perhaps, heard one word of the
History of the Paddington Estate. On this ignorance the owners of that
estate must have relied, when they determined to saddle the rate-payers
of Paddington with the expense of building and furnishing their churches,
and with every other charge incidental to that Estate. But to enable the
owners to carry out their project, the consent of the vestry of the
parish must be first had and obtained; and to give this consent the
vestry were not unwilling; for on the very day they voted away £13,000
for Trinity, they also bound themselves to raise, by rates and
subscription, _or by rates alone_, £6,000 more for another church. {156}
The site for this church—a portion of the old reservoir,—had already been
given up by the Grand Junction Waterworks Company, to the bishop and his
lessees, as agreed upon, and enacted, by the 7th and 8th Vic. cap. 30.
On the fifteenth of January, 1846, the vestry resolved, “that it is
expedient to build a church in Cambridge-place; and that a committee be
appointed to consider the subject in all its bearings, and report thereon
to the vestry.” This committee recommended that £4,000 should be raised
by a loan on the church-rates towards the cost of this new building, the
furniture, and fittings; that it hold 1,500 persons; and that the cost of
the building should be limited to £6,000; £2,000 of which, they
recommend, should be raised by subscription; but they recommend the works
to be begun, when the subscriptions amount to £1,500; but not before.
Their report was adopted by the vestry; it was at once resolved that the
£4000 should be raised; that their old friends, the church commissioners,
should be applied to for assistance; and that the vestry-clerk should
write to the bishop of London, apprizing him of the day’s proceedings;
requesting, at the same time, that directions may be given to have the
site of the church conveyed in the usual manner.
All this was to be carried into effect by the Trinity Church Committee.
On the third of March, a letter was read from the Church Commissioners,
expressing regret that the state of their funds and urgent claims from
various other quarters, would not permit them to make any grant of money,
this time, towards the proposed new church; but as no more of these
public funds could be obtained, the bishop sends word he will give £500.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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