Inventory Site Record

St Andrew Bobola was originally built in 1870 as St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, a stone church designed by Edmund Woodthorpe. In 1961 it was converted by A P Klecki to serve the Polish Roman Catholic community. The small churchyard has a few evergreen trees, the main feature being the many low dark brick walls set with copper memorial plaques.

Previous / Other name:

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church

Site location:

Leysfield Road, Shepherds Bush

Postcode:

W12 9JF

What 3 Words:

fast.blaze.robots

Type of site:

Churchyard

Borough:

Hammersmith & Fulham

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

closed at night

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Goldhawk Road (Hammersmith & City. Stamford Brook (District). Bus: 266, 94, 237

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/04/2004

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.rcdow.org.uk/polishchurch; www.stbobola.co.uk

Hammersmith has become the main centre in London for the Polish community in London, which grew particularly after WWI and WWII. St Andrew Bobola (1591-1657) was a Polish missionary of the Society of Jesus, who was brutally tortured and killed on 16 May 1657 during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, when he was captured in the village of Peredil, Lithuania by the Cossacks of Chmielnicki. When his body was discovered in the C18th it was found to be undecomposed, a sign of holiness. He was declared Blessed by Pius IX in 1853, and later canonized by Pope Pius XI on 17 April 1938. Since 16 May 2002 Andrew Bobola has been a patron saint of Poland and the Archdiocese of Warsaw.

Sources consulted:

LB Hammersmith & Fulham 'Ravenscourt & Starch Green Conservation Area Character Profile', 1999

Grid ref:

TQ224794 (522400,179460)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Westminster

Site management:

Roman Catholic Church

Date(s):

1870, 1961

Designer(s):

Edmund Woodthorpe (1870), A P Klecki (1961)

Listed structures:

Local list: St Andrew Bobola

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Ravenscourt & Starch Green

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None