St John's Stratford E15 - Timeline (Complete)

St John's Timeline

Year	What Was Happening ?
	At St John's	In & Around Stratford	In The Church	In The World
1833	Construction of St John's begins.
1834	St John's Church opened as a chapel of ease to All Saints, West Ham, John Gibson, Curate.	Stratford Turnpike opened on High street (about where Ward Road is now).		William IV is King William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne is Prime Minister Britain abolishes slavery Poor Law Amendment Act cuts off public assistance to able-bodied men in Great Britain unless they enter a workhouse. Hansom cabs are introduced in London by J. A. Hansom. Victor Hugo's 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' is a best seller. The establishment of an Australian colony is legalized by the South Australia Act. Charles Spurgeon and William Morris were born Samuel Taylor Coleridge dies. Sir Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister
1835		Stratford National (St John's) School opens. George Henry Stanton (external link), first bishop of North Queensland, Australia, born in Stratford. Old Bow Bridge demolition and construction of new bridge commenced.		Hans Christian Andersen publishes his first fairy tales Charles Babbage invents a mechanical calculator William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, becomes Prime Minister
1836		West Ham Poor Law Union formed.		Davy Crockett is killed at the Alamo and Texas wins independence from Mexico. Martin Van Buren is elected president of the United States.
1837				King William dies. Queen Victoria accedes to the throne Queen Victoria takes up residence at Buckingham Palace, the first monarch to live at that famous address. Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths began on 1 July. English schoolmaster, Rowland Hill invents the postage stamp Samuel Morse invents the telegraph
1838				Octavia Hill, founder of The National Trust, born in London. Samuel Morse invents Morse Code
1839		New Bow Bridge opened. Eastern Counties Railway (London to Norwich) opens through Stratford to Romford.		Kirkpatrick Macmillan invents a bicycle Welshmen, Sir William Robert Grove conceives of the first hydrogen fuel cell
1840	Charles Nicoll becomes curate of St John's.	Stratford, and West Ham, are added to the Metropolitan Police District.		Introduction of penny post William Henry Harrison is elected president of the United States.
1841				Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, becomes Prime Minister The first census to list every individual by name was taken. The first issue of 'Punch' is published in London.
1842				Mines Acts forbade the employment of women and children in the mines The Treaty of Nanking ends the 'Opium War', granting important trading rights in China to Britain. Queen Victoria travels by train for the first time.
1843		Harry Rickards (external link), comedian and theatre proprietor, born in Stratford.		The Tivoli Pleasure Gardens, Copenhagen, are opened for the first time. House of Commons Select Committee on the Smoke Nuisance recommends all manufacturers be removed to a distance of 5 to 6 miles from city centres.
1844	August 20, Stratford becomes a Conventional District.	Gerard Manley Hopkins (external link) born in The Grove, Stratford.		Factory Act limited working hours for women and children in factories Metropolitan Buildings Act. James K. Polk is elected president of the United States.
1845				Stephen Perry of a London rubber company patents elastic bands.
1846			January 1st, The whole of Essex except the Deanery of Barking is transferred to the diocese of Rochester. Barking Deanery remains in London.	Lord John Russell becomes Prime Minister
1847		Eastern Counties Railway works established in Stratford.		Ten Hours Act: Cuts factory work day to ten hours for women and children Education Act Improved teachers' pay and provided money for non-conformist schools
1848				Chartists bring two million signatures to London demanding political and social reforms. Cholera epidemic kills 62,000 Britons. The patent for the saxophone is awarded to Adolphe Sax.
1849				Walter Hunt invents the safety pin
1850
1851	William Holloway becomes Perpetual Curate of St John's. St Johns broken into and robbed The Proceedings Of The Old Bailey - External Link -	Population of West Ham: 34,305 Population of Stratford: 10,586 Chapel Street Ragged School opens.	The Census includes a unique Ecclesiastical Census. West Ham has 36 Churches: 16 Church of England, 9 Independents, 4 Wesleyan Methodists, 2 Baptists, 2 Roman Catholic, 1 Society of Friends, 1 Primitive Methodists & 1 Wesleyan Association. A total of 14,788 people attended church on Sunday March 30.	Census of the UK taken, March 30th The Great Exhibition
1852		Stratford Marsh, or Stratford-in-the-Marsh, becomes a separate parish from Stratford. Parish church is Christchurch, corner of Union Street and High Street. Edward Cridge (external link), curate at All Saints, West Ham, is appointed vicar. The Parish of Forest Gate formed, Parish church is Emmanuel, corner of Upton Lane and Romford Road.		Cholera epidemic sweeps Britain Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, becomes Prime Minister George Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, becomes Prime Minister
1853				Franklin Pierce is elected president of the United States.
1854		Edward Cridge leaves Christchurch to become chaplain of the Hudson's Bay Co in Canada. James Stopford Ram becomes vicar. The Central Baptist Church, The Grove, opened Forest Lane Industrial School opened by the Whitechapel Board of Guardians		Start of the Crimean War Commodore Mathew Perry visits Japan, opening the island to trade with the U.S., ending its isolation from the world.
1855	'copper lightning conductor' stolen from off the church. The Proceedings Of The Old Bailey - External Link -	Channelsea School opens, administered by the Vicar of Christ Church.		Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, becomes Prime Minister
1856		West Ham constituted a local government area and Local Board of Health established.		End of Crimean War Louis Pasteur invents pasteurisation
1857		John Snow reports on an outbreak of Cholera at Abbey Row (external link), due to a contaminated well pump, which lays low one-fifth of the population of the area and kills 6 people.	The work of the Plaistow and Victoria Dock Mission gets a mention in Charles Dickens' 'Household Words', in September and the name 'London over the Border' is coined.	The Indian Mutiny erupted in Meerut in reaction to the increased pace of Westernisation in India and a military crackdown on Indian troops by their British officers. James Buchanan is elected president of the United States. The Matrimonial Causes Act created divorce courts and made it easier to obtain a divorce.
1858		J M Kennedy becomes vicar of Christchurch.		India Bill transfers the administration of India from the East India Company to the Crown Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, becomes Prime Minister Principal Probate Registry began handling all English and Welsh probates.
1859		Maryland Road Mission opened The Grand Lodge of Freemasons in England become aware of an 'irregular' lodge, the 'Equality Lodge', meeting at the King of Prussia in Stratford and warn all masons to have nothing to do with them. This lodge has probably been meeting since at least 1850. (Fringe Masonry in England 1870-85, Ellic Howe, 1972)		Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, becomes Prime Minister Creation of the Liberal Party
1860
1861		John Strickland becomes vicar of Christchurch. West Ham, Stratford & South Essex Dispensary (later Queen Mary's Hospital) opens. Gurney Memorial built Stratford Co-operative Society founded. Population of Stratford: 15,994		Census of the UK taken, April 7th Beginning of the American Civil War Elisha Otis patents elevator safety brakes, creating a safer elevator Linus Yale invents the Yale lock or cylinder lock
1862
1863		Metropolitan Northern Outfall sewer constructed (completed 1865).	the Bishop of London's Fund established - the first of a succession of funds to assist in the problems of 'London over the Border'.
1864	William Holloway Dies. George Stopford Ram becomes Perpetual Curate of St John's.	James Wray Carter becomes vicar of Christchurch.	Royal College of Organists popularises organs for church music.
1865		Stratford New Town, becomes a separate parish from Stratford. Parish church is St Paul's, in Maryland Road.	William Booth begins the ministry that will become the Salvation Army.	Lewis Carroll publishes Alice in Wonderland
1866	William Jay Bolton becomes Perpetual Curate of St John's.	Stratford Express founded Stratford Turnpike closed.		The Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister
1867			Barking Deanery is transferred to Rochester diocese and Stratford loses the support of the London Fund.	Working men in towns get the vote
1868	St John's Stratford becomes a separate parish from West Ham. William Jay Bolton becomes Vicar.	The Roman Catholic Church of St Francis of Assisi, in Grove Crescent Road, opened.		Derby retires, Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister William Gladstone becomes Prime Minister Ulysses S. Grant is elected president of the United States. Louisa May Alcott publishes 'Little Women'. The skeleton of Cro-Magnon man is found in France.
1869		Stratford Town Hall opened.		The Suez Canal opens. Imprisonment for debt is abolished. The tracks of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific were joined at Promontory, Utah, to form the first transcontinental railway in the United States.
1870		St James, Forest Gate, opened	The Bishop of Rochester's Fund takes over support of Barking Deanery, with the Vicar of Barkingside as Secretary.	Forster's Elementary Education Act
1871		Population of Stratford: 23,286 West Ham School Board established. North Metropolitan Tramways open horse tram service from Aldgate to Stratford.		Bank holidays introduced. Stanley meets Livingston in Africa at Ujiji.
1872	Revd Bolton is admonished by the Census Office for illegally claiming part of Emmanuel Parish as St John's Chant Square Mission Hall opened			Ulysses S. Grant is re-elected as US president.
1873				First typewriter invented Cable cars begin running in San Francisco.
1874		20th July, West Ham Park opened.	English universities introduce qualifying examinations for graduates in theology.	Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister Winston Churchill is born. The Impressionist painters stage their first exhibition in Paris. The first zoo in American is established in Philadelphia. Pressuring cooking is introduced in the food canning process.
1875				Britain purchases 176,602 shares in the Suez Canal. Hans Christian Anderson dies. Mark Twain publishes 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. London's first roller skating rink opens.
1876		St Mark Mission Church, Windmill Lane opened		The telephone is invented by Alexander Graham Bell. Korea becomes a nation. Robert Koch discovers anthrax bacillus Rutherford B. Hayes is elected president of the United States
1877			A new diocese of St Albans is formed covering the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire. Essex and Herts have little in common and communications is bad. The first Bishop of St Albans, translated from Rochester, is Thomas Legh Claughton	Edison invents the phonograph. Wimbledon is the venue for the All-England Lawn Tennis Championship for the first time.
1878		Charles William Servante becomes vicar of Christchurch. St Thomas Mission Church, Rokeby Street opened Sept 3rd - The pleasure steamer 'Princess Alice', returning from a day trip to Sheerness, is rammed by the collier 'Bywell Castle' in the Thames at Gallions Reach. Over 700 people, mainly women and children, loose their lives.	The Bishop of St Albans' Fund takes over from Rochester with the same Secretary	The microphone is invented. Electric street lighting in London. The Paris World Exhibition is held.
1879	The Martyrs' Memorial built.	Stratford Fruit and Vegetable Market opens.		Zulu warriors massacre British soldiers in Isandhlwana. First electric tram is debuted by E. W. Seimens in Berlin Exhibition. The British Museum grants access to the public. London's first telephone exchange is created.
1880				William Gladstone becomes Prime Minister James Garfield is elected as US president. Auguste Rodin sculpts 'The Thinker' in bronze.
1881	Raymond Percy Pelly becomes vicar of St John's.	St James, Forest Gate, becomes a separate parish out of Stratford and Forest Gate. Parish church is at southern end of St James Road. Population of Stratford: 38,606		Chester A. Arthur becomes US president on assassination of James Garfield. The first Boer War breaks out. The first stereo system is patented in Germany by Clement Ader. London's Natural History Museum opens.
1882	There was a 'mysterious fire' in the Church The Proceedings Of The Old Bailey - External Link -	Ward Road Mission opened	The Suffragan See of Colchester is re-established after being in abeyance since Tudor times. The first suffragan bishop, Alfred Blomfield, takes over the spiritual oversight of Essex under the diocesan.	England and Australia begin cricket contest known as the Ashes Italy, Austria and Germany form the triple alliance. Passage of The Married Women's Property Act grants British women the right to own their own property.
1883	Holy Trinity Mission Church, Oxford Road opened with Trinity College, Oxford St Agatha's Womens Refuge founded 'at the back of the present Trinity College Mission Church' by Mrs Raymond Pelly, wife of the vicar. Arthur Durrant (external link) became Curate at St John's. St Stephen Mission Church, Cedars Road opened in iron building.	Hubert Massey Whittell (external link), ornithologist, born in Stratford.		August 27th, Krakatoa Erupted, killing 26,417 people 'Treasure Island' by R. L. Stevenson is published. First skyscraper built in Chicago
1884	Demolition of old chancel and erection of new begins; erection of vestry and organ chamber and repewing.	Plans to convert a local wheelwright's shop into a theatre are rejected by the West Ham Local Board as unsafe and improper. There was also objection from the clergy of the district, led by the Rev Pelly, their petition argues 'that a theatre would not tend to the moral elevation of the people of the neighbourhood; that it would injuriously affect a respectable home for young ladies nearby; and that probably a low class of drama would be provided, so that it would become the resort of the lowest classes'. Despite these objections licence was granted by Stratford Magistrates on the grounds that 'it was easier to keep control over a licensed permanent theatre'. The Theatre Royal Stratford East (external link) opened on 17th December.		The first steam cable tramway starts running in Highgate.
1885	New Chancel completed and dedicated as a memorial to Sir Antonio Brady. Arthur Durrant marries Alice Pelly, Daughter of Rev Raymond Percy Pelly. Arthur Durrant leaves St John's for St Mary, Plaistow (Later at St Peter, Upton Cross & Vicar of Holy Trinity, Leverstock Green (for 36 years!))			Robert Salisbury becomes Prime Minister Death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Gottlieb Daimler in Germany patents the first motor cycle. Louis Pasteur administers the first successful treatment for rabies. Grover Cleveland is elected as US president.
1886	Rev John Gerald Marshall, BA, was curate at St Johns Post office Trade Directory - External Link -	West Ham becomes a Metropolitan Borough. The Boundary Commission makes minor alterations to Middlesex/Essex boundaries in preparation for formation of County of London.		The first classified personals are run in 'The Times'. Unemployed men riot in Oxford Street and Pall Mall.
1887	West gallery removed.	Population of Stratford: 36,455 Population of Stratford Marsh: 9,710		Queen Victoria celebrates Golden Jubilee (50 years) The American Exhibition opens at West Brompton, offering up 'Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show'.
1888		London becomes a County, London County Council takes over from the Metropolitan Board Of Works, West Ham Borough moves from Essex to London. Stratford Town Hall opened 642 women workers go on strike at the Bryant & May Match Company in Bow over working conditions.		Vincent Van Gogh cuts off his ear in Arles in the south of France. 'Jack the Ripper' murders at least 5 women in Whitechapel. The Kodak box camera is patented by George Eastman. Karl Benz sells the first petrol-driven car manufactured in his new factory.
1889	Thomas Stevens (later First Bishop of Barking) becomes vicar of St John's.	West Ham becomes a County Borough.		Dock Strike - workers win right to pay of 6 pence per hour Benjamin Harrison is elected president in America.
1890		New Years Day - 26 children die in a fire (external link) at the Forest Lane Industrial School	John Wogan Festing succeeds as second Bishop of Colchester.	Chief Sitting Bull is shot dead by Indian police in the process of being falsely arrested.
1891		St Thomas, Rokeby Street becomes separate parish Vaughan Road Mission opened Chandos Road Mission opened GER Railway Works at Stratford build a steam locomotive in the unsurpassed record time of 9 hours 47 minutes.		London and Paris are linked by telephone. In Russia, construction begins on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
1892		James Keir Hardie (The First Labour MP) elected for West Ham South		William Gladstone becomes Prime Minister Grover Cleveland is re-elected as US president.
1893	Frank Weston (external link) became Deacon of Holy Trinity Mission Church, Oxford Road			Lady Margaret Scott wins the first Women's Golf Championship held at Royal Lytham. In France, the first car registration plates are issued along with the first driving licenses and the first parking restrictions.
1894		Leyton Road Mission opened		Gladstone resigns, Archibald Rosebery becomes Prime Minister Found guilty of selling military secrets, Alfred Dryfus is sent to Devil's Island. The first motor show opens in Paris.
1895		Ward Road Mission renamed St Aidan Mission Church Thames Iron Works football club founded.		Robert Salisbury becomes Prime Minister Louis Pasteur dies. Oscar Wilde's play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' opens in London. The first celluloid film was publicly screened in Paris, a short by Auguste and Louis Lumiere. Rontgen makes the first x-ray.
1896	Frank Weston leaves Holy Trinity Mission Church to work at St. Matthew's, Westminster. (later 4th Bishop of Zanzibar & 1st President of the Anglo-Catholic Congress) Rev William Vavasour Mason, BA, was curate at St Johns Kellys Trade Directory - External Link - Rev Vincent Smith, AKCL, was curate at St Johns Kellys Trade Directory - External Link - Rev William Brown, BA, was curate at St Johns Kellys Trade Directory - External Link -	Borough Theatre, Stratford opens.		The first modern Olympic games was held in Athens. London's first parking ticket is issued. The North Country gold rush began with the discovery of gold in the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory.
1897		Vaughan Road Mission rebuilt and renamed St Matthews, it becomes a separate parish of West Ham, St Matthews		Queen Victoria celebrates Diamond Jubilee (60 years) The Tate Gallery opens in London. William McKinley is elected US president.
1898		Population of West Ham estimated at 287,000.	The Bishop of St Albans' Fund publishes a 'Handbook to the Barking Deaneries' to describe, and to plead the needs of, 'London over the Border'.	Britain leases Hong Kong from China for 99 years. The 'Maine' is sunk in Havana harbour, marking the start of the Spanish-American War.
1899				The outbreak of the second Boer War. James Cagney is born. The first death by motorcycle crash in Britain is recorded. 'O Solo Mio!', is published.
1900		Vicarage Lane Mission opened West Ham United Football Club founded (was Thames Iron Works team).		The Metro in Paris opens. The British under Kitchener take Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Bloemfontein. The Boxer Rebellion begins in China. In Germany, the Zeppelin makes its maiden flight The New Century is celebrated Worldwide
1901	Ralph Nicholson becomes vicar of St John's.	Population of Stratford: 52,974 Demolition of old Bow Bridge, opened in 1839, and construction of new bridge commenced.	Thomas Stevens, Archdeacon of Essex and Vicar of St John's, Stratford, is consecrated the first Suffragan Bishop of Barking and combines the spiritual oversight of the Archdeaconry (under the diocesan) with his archidiaconate. Responsibility is therefore divided from Colchester.	Queen Victoria dies. Edward VI accedes to the throne Critics rave at Picasso's first exhibition in Paris. Theodore Roosevelt is elected US president.
1902			John Wogan Festing, Bishop of Colchester, dies and it is said that the burden of 'London over the Border' killed him.	Arthur James Balfour becomes Prime Minister
1903		The Daily News organises a survey of church attendance in London, West Ham has 17,600 churchgoers. St John's reports an average of 701 attendees for Sunday services.	Edgar Jacob is translated from Newcastle to be Bishop of St Albans and becomes the true founder of the modern Diocese of Chelmsford.	Maurice Garin wins the first Tour de France cycle race. George Orwell, author of 'Animal Farm' and '1984' is born in Bengal.
1904	Frederick John Key becomes vicar of St John's.	West Ham electric tramway service inaugurated.		The 'entente cordiale' establishes cordial relations between the governments of Britain and France, forming the basis for their alliance in World War I.
1905				Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman becomes Prime Minister Theodore Roosevelt is president of the United States To break a general strike, Russian troops kill over 6000 in Odessa. Russian sailors mutiny aboard the battleship 'Potemkin' in the Black Sea. Japan defeats Russian in the Russo-Japanese War. The Automobile Association was formed in Britain.
1906		Biggerstaff Road Mission opened New Bow Bridge opened.
1907			West Ham came a close third in a vote for the new Cathedral Town. St Johns may have become the cathedral being one of the largest church buildings in the area.	Pablo Picasso paints his first masterpiece, 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.'
1908				Herbert Henry Asquith becomes Prime Minister In Lisbon, King Carlos I of Portugal and the crown prince are assassinated. Young Turks revolt in Macedonia. The London Olympics are held at Wembley The Ford Company produces the Model T.
1909	St John's redecorated and a new raridos erected at a cost of £750	St Agatha's Womens Refuge moves to 15 Disraeli Road, Forest Gate		Gordon H Selfridge opens new department store in London's Oxford Street. Henri Matisse paints 'The Dance'. Civil War breaks out in Honduras. William Howard Taft is inaugurated as 27th president of the United States. London hairdressers begin offering the new permanent waves. Women are admitted to German universities for the first time.
1910				King Edward VII dies. George V succeeds him. China abolishes slavery. Butros Ghali, Egyptian Premier, is assassinated. Mark Twain and Leo Tolstoy die.
1911		Population of Stratford: 50,729		Lloyd George brings the National Health Insurance Bill before Parliament. The Russian Premier, Peter Stolypin is assassinated. Revolution in central China. Winston Churchill is named First Lord of the Admiralty.
1912				The Republic of China is established. The S. S. Titanic, on her maiden voyage, strikes an iceberg and sinks. The remains of the 'Piltdown Man' are found near Lewes. Jim Thorpe, an American Indian, is the star of the Stockholm Olympics. The F. W. Woolworth Company is founded.
1913	John Merrin becomes vicar of St John's. The 'Church Institute', the old Working Men's Club building, in Romford Road purchased.			Suffragettes hold demonstrations in London. Mahatma Gandhi is arrested. Woodrow Wilson is elected president in the U. S. There are several wars in the Balkans between the Bulgarians and Turkey; then between Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece, then Russia declares war on Bulgaria, then Serbia invades Albania.
1914	Curates at St John's are Rev. William Charles Bown (also priest in charge of St Stephens Church), Rev. William Josiah Joyce & Rev. Percy Robert Hatfield. Services are at 8am, 11am & 6:30pm on Sundays and 8pm on Wednesdays. Services are also held at St Stephens, Cedars Road, at 11am & 6:30pm on Sundays, at St John's Mission School Room, Chant Square, at 11am & 6:30pm on Sundays and 7:30pm on Wednesdays and at St Stephens Mission Room at 11am & 6:30pm on Sundays. (Kelly's Directory of Essex 1914)	There are 32 churches and missions holding Sunday services in and around Stratford including Church of England, Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Primitive Methodist, Welsh Calvinist, Wesleyan Methodist & the Salvation Army. (Kelly's Directory of Essex 1914) Prisoner of War camp opened in Carpenters Road	The London over the Border Church Fund is inaugurated, successor to the special funds for the needs of metropolitan Essex set up from the 1860s onwards. The new diocese of Chelmsford; conterminous with the ancient county of Essex, is established with John Edwin Watts-Ditchfield as the first Bishop.	Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary is assassinated, starting World War I. Germany declares war on Russia and France, and invades Belgium. Great Britain declares war on Germany. Austria declares war on Russia. Serbia declares war on Germany. France declares war on Austria, as does Britain. Austria declares war on Belgium. Russia, Britain and France declare war on Turkey. And then the hostilities begin in one of the bloodiest conflicts in history. Mahatma Gandhi returns to India. U.S. troops occupy Vera Cruz, Mexico.
1915				Poison gas is used in battle for the first time by the Germans in the Second Battle of Ypres. The 'Lusitania' is sunk by a German submarine moves America toward entry into the war. Italy declares war on Austria and Hungary. Organized resistance to British rule in India begins under Gandhi.
1916		St Agatha's Womens Refuge moves to 98 Romford Road, Stratford.		Zeppelin raids are conducted on Paris. The Germans begin the Battle of Verdun. The British fleet fights the German fleet in the Battle of Jutland. Germany declares war on Portugal. Food rationing begins in Germany. Daylight-savings time ('British Summer Time') is introduced in Britain. David Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister Tanks are used in battle for the first time by the British in the Battle of the Somme in Northern France. The allies lost 600,000 soldiers between July and November, advancing only 20 miles.
1917	New, brick built, building for St Stephen Mission Church, Cedars Road, opened	Jan 19th - A fire starts at The Brunner Mond Chemical Factory in Silvertown, which was manufacturing explosives for the war, and within seven minutes the entire building is destroyed in a massive explosion, leaving a twenty foot deep crater where the building had stood. Almost everything within 400 yards was flattened, mainly houses of the workers, the rain of debris spread even further, the concussion from the blast was felt in King's Lynn, 87 miles away. Over 500 people were injured, maimed or killed.		The Germans begin all out submarine warfare. America declares war on Germany. Germany stops the Allies in the third Battle of Ypres. Bolsheviks seize power in Russia. Russia signs an armistice with Germany. The royal family changes their name. They opt for the very British sounding 'Windsor' and abandon 'Saxe-Coburg-Gotha'. The Balfour Declaration states the British governments support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
1918		Flu epidemic - 1,500 killed in East and West Ham		Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Germany launches an offensive along the Somme. The 'Red Baron', Baron Manfred von Richthofen, was shot down by an R.A.F. fighter. He dies in the crash. France begins the second battle of the Marne. British troops break the line at Amiens. The Allies begin the final offensive on the western front. Czechoslovakia is proclaimed a republic. Germany signs the armistice. World War 1 comes to an end. Arab forces with T. E. 'Lawrence of Arabia' capture Damascus from the Turks.
1919				Treaty of Versailles is signed officially ending World War I; Germany to pay war damages. Germany adopts Weimar Constitution, adopting democratic government. Sinn Fein Party declares Ireland's independence from Britain. Fighting breaks out between Irish Nationalists and British.
1920				Separate Parliaments are created for Northern and Southern Ireland by Government of Ireland Act carried through British Parliament. The Panama Canal opens. The League of Nations is established. Prohibition arrives in America, the era of the bootlegger begins.
1921		Population of West Ham 300,860.		London's first motor cycle police went on patrol.
1922			The centuries-old Archdeaconry of Essex is divided into two, 'West Ham' and 'Southend'.	Andrew Bonar Law becomes Prime Minister. Court of International Justice holds its first meeting in the Hague, Holland. Egypt is declared independent, ending British seven-year protectorate. Mussolini marches on Rome, forms a Fascist government and becomes dictator. The U.S.S.R. is formed. Gandhi is sentenced to prison for civil disobedience. George Cadbury, chocolate maker, dies. The first woman is called to the English Bar, Dr. Ivy Williams.
1923		Reginald Brackstone Bertin becomes vicar of Christchurch.		Andrew Bonar Law resigns due to bad health, Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister Mustafa Kemal establishes the Republic of Turkey. Oklahoma declares martial law to protect citizens against attacks by Ku Klux Klan. New York's first birth control clinic opens. Paavo Nurmi runs a mile in four-minutes 10.4 seconds. Lagache and Leonard win the first 24 hours Le Mans race at an average speed of 57.2 mph The electric razor is patented by Col. Jacob Schick.
1924				Eric Liddel refuses to run the heats of the 100 meter at the Paris Olympics due to their being held on a Sunday. Lenin, father of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, dies in Russia. Calvin Coolidge is elected president of the United States.
1925				Unemployment Insurance Act is carried in Parliament. Cyprus becomes a Crown Colony. Hindenberg is elected German president. Hitler reorganizes the Nazi Party and publishes the first volume of 'Mein Kampf.' Sun Yat-sen dies in China. R A Millikan discovers cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere.
1926		Stratford Brewery, Maryland, closed and land sold off SEAX - External Link -		General Strike Hirohito succeeds as Emperor of Japan. Germany is admitted to the League of Nations. The first liquid fuel rocket is fired by Robert Goddard. Gertrude Ederle, from New York, becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel. She did it in 14 hours 31 minutes, almost two hours faster than the men's record holder.
1927	Reginald Wragge-Morley becomes vicar of St John's.	Chapel Street Ragged School closes. Broadway Cinema, Tramway Avenue, opened.		Allied control of Germany ends. Australian Parliament House opens in Canberra. Fifty-two nations attend an economic conference in Geneva, Switzerland. In Vienna, riots in the streets over acquittal of Nazis on trial for political murder. The German economy collapses In China, Chu Teh forms the Red Army. Johnny Weismuller swims 100 yards in 51 seconds. Charles Lindbergh flies non-stop from New York to Paris in the 'Spirit of St. Louis.'
1928	Curate Reginald Wernham leaves St Johns to become vicar of St Pauls, East Ham			The voting age for women in Britain is reduced to 21 from 30. Sir Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin. The Thames overflows its banks. The Olympic Games are held in Amsterdam. Al Jolson's recording of 'Sonny Boy' sells 12 million records. Jawaharlal Nehru founds Independence of India League to help free India from British rule. Chaing Kai-shek elected President of China.
1929				BBC begins broadcasting daily programme of television shows. James Ramsey MacDonald becomes Prime Minister Trotsky is thrown out of the U.S.S.R. Herbert Hoover is elected US president. Wall Street stock market crashes and leads to the Great Depression.
1930				Amy Johnson is first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. UK to Australia telephone service began.
1931		Population of West Ham 294,278.		Spain elects it first president, Alasaraza Zamaora. The Japanese invade Manchuria.
1932	Cecil Morris becomes vicar of St John's.	Unemployment in West Ham reaches 20,642. Unemployment protest demonstration in the Romford Road & Stratford Broadway turns into a riot.
1933		Walter Darling Topping becomes vicar of Christchurch. West Ham Tramways taken over by London Transport. First part of Stratford High Street Improvement Scheme opens.		Adolph Hitler becomes German Chancellor. The London Board of Transport is created. Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected US president.
1934	Percy Sowerby becomes vicar of St John's.			Italy invades Ethiopia.
1935		Oswald Mosley gives a speech at a meeting in Stratford Town Hall, protests outside almost turn into a riot.		Celebration of Silver Jubilee of King George V
1936		Herbert Henry Griswell becomes vicar of Christchurch.		King George dies. Edward VIII accedes to the throne. Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for a third time The Jarrow Marches King Edward VIII abdicates. George VI becomes King
1937				Royal Commission recommends Arab and Jewish states. Naval agreement signed between Britain, Germany and U.S.S.R. Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister German bombers under Franco attack civilians in Guernica in The Spanish Civil War. Mussolini visits Libya and Berlin. Franklin D. Roosevelt signs U.S. Neutrality Act. Japanese take Peking, Tienstsin, Shanghai, Nanking and Hangchow. Lord Halifax visits Hitler marking the beginning of a policy of appeasement. Italy withdraws from the League of Nations; passes anti-Jewish legislation. Mao Tse-tung and Chaing Kai-shek unite to form a Chinese government. Amelia Earhart is lost somewhere in the Pacific. San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge opens. The Duke of Windsor marries Mrs. Wallis Simpson.
1938		Thomas Henry Hollingdale becomes vicar of Christchurch.		Japanese install puppet government in China. Hitler becomes self-appointed War Minister of Germany. Foreign secretary Eden resigns in protest of Chamberlains policy of appeasement. Roosevelt appeals to Hitler and Mussolini to find peaceful solution to European problems. He recalls American ambassador to Germany. Germany reciprocates. The 40-hour work week established in America. S. S. 'Queen Elizabeth' is launched. Gas masks are issued to British civilians.
1939				World War II begins. Germany invades Poland. Their blitzkrieg method of 'lightening war' proves effective. Imperial Airways and British Airways merge to form BOAC (British Oversees Airways Corporation). Britain and France declare war on Germany. The Russians invade Finland. Nylon yarn is produced commercially in Delaware by the DuPont Company. A bomb explodes in the Buergerbraukeller in Munich, shortly after Hitler has left the building where he was giving a speech. In New York, Billie Holliday records 'The Man I Love.'
1940	St Johns' crypt used as air-raid shelters.	Sept 7th - The Blitz begins - 300 tons of bombs were dropped on the East End in one night by German aircraft.		Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. Britain begins rationing with butter, sugar and bacon. R.A.F. begins night bombings of Germany. Trotsky is assassinated in Mexico, hit in the head with an axe. Franklin D. Roosevelt is re-elected for a 3rd term as U.S. president. Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister. Italy declares war on Britain and France, invades British Somaliland and attacks Greece. France surrenders to Germany and Hungary and Romania join the Axis Empire. British ships rescue more than 330,000 allied troops trapped on the beaches of Dunkerque. The London Blitz begins. Nearly nightly bombings last through from September to early May 1941. The Battle of Britain. The war in the air lasts only four months and costs the Royal Air Force 915 aircraft, but they downed 1,733 of the Luftwaffe. Earnest Hemingway's novel, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' is published in New York.
1941	Harold Furneaux, Curate at St John's, marries Eileen Parker	St Thomas, Rokeby Street closed due to bombing		Britain invades Ethiopia. Bulgaria joins the Axis. Germany invades Greece and Yugoslavia. Japan and Russia sign a pact. Axis troops invade Russia. British and French troops invade Syria. U.S. troops land in Iceland. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Churchill announce the Atlantic Charter, a show of allied solidarity. The British and Russians invade Iran. Japanese attack Pearl Harbour sinking 18 ships, killing or wounding 3,700. The United States declares war on Japan. Guam and Wake Island are captured by Japan. The British surrender in Hong Kong. The U.S. declares war on Germany and Italy and they reciprocate.
1942	Allan Weir becomes vicar of St John's.	Vicarage Lane Mission destroyed by bombing		Manilla is captured by the Japanese. Singapore surrenders to Japan. Bataan surrenders to Japan. U.S. carrier based aircraft bomb Tokyo. The Allies win the Battle of the Coral Sea. The Japanese take Corregidor The Japanese eastward expansion ends with their defeat in The Battle of Midway. German troops seize Tobruk, the British stop the Germans at El Alamein. U.S. marines land on Guadalcanal. Allied forces land in North Africa & British troops capture Tobruk. Russians counterattack in Stalingrad.
1943	St Stephen Mission Church, Cedars Road closed due to bombing			Axis resistance in Africa ends. The Japanese lose the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Japanese troops retreat across the Yangtze River in China. The Allies invade Sicily and land in Italy. Italy signs an armistice with the Allies in secret. Russia retakes Kiev from the Germans. Italy declares war on Germany. U.S. marines invade Tarawa and Makin in the Pacific.
1944	"The Friends of St. John the Evangelist, Stratford" formed to keep those evacuated and bombed out of their homes in touch with each other and with the church.	St Aidan Mission Church, Ward Road closed due to bombing St Mark Mission Church, Windmill Lane sold to Methodists		Russians break the siege of Leningrad. Germans blitzkrieg Hungary. Japanese troops cross into India. The Allies land in Normandy. B-29 bombers raid Japan. The Germans send V-1 guided missiles across the Channel, bombing London. U.S. wins the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Allies land in southern France. U.S. troops break out of Normandy. Germany begins the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies halt their offensive in 10 days. U.S. Pacific Fleet wins the Battle for Leyte Gulf, decisively.
1945	Holy Trinity Mission Church, Oxford Road closed due to bombing	St Pauls Church, Stratford New Town, destroyed by a German Rocket.		The first atomic bomb is test detonated in New Mexico at Los Alamos. Harry S. Truman becomes president as a result of the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. Berlin surrenders to the Russians. Germany surrenders to the Allies. President Harry S. Truman authorizes the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan Japanese sign the terms for surrender. Their forces in China and Southeast Asia surrender. World War II finally ends National Health Service founded
1946	Chant Square Mission Hall closed due to damage caused by bombing	St Agatha's Womens Refuge moves to 73 Carnarvon Road, Forest Gate. Central Line opened, Liverpool Street to Stratford.
1947				India is divided into India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim) and both achieve independence
1948		Herbert Reseigh becomes vicar of Christchurch	World Council of Churches convenes in Amsterdam as a "fellowship of churches which confess Jesus Christ as God and Savior."	Harry S. Truman is elected president of the United States.
1949				BBC radio's first weather report is broadcast.
1950	Donald A Rooke becomes vicar of St John's.			The first self-service store in Britain opens in Croydon.
1951	Myles Kenneth Raikes becomes curate at St John's Christchurch, Stratford Marsh, parish re-joined to St John's.	Population of West Ham 170,100.		Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister for a second time. The Festival of Britain.
1952				King George dies. Elizabeth II accedes to the throne.
1953	Myles Kenneth Raikes leaves St John's for Hockerill (later Vicar of St. Peter's, Bushey Heath & Diocesan Ecumenical Officer, Bath & Wells)	New church of St Pauls, Stratford New Town, consecrated. Stratford tube crash. (external link)		Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II General Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president of the United States. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquer Everest.
1954				Rationing, begun during World War II, ends in Britain. The first nuclear power plant opens near Moscow.
1955	New East Window dedicated.			Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister Nassar becomes Egypt first president. Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California.
1956				General Dwight D. Eisenhower is re-elected president of the United States. Elvis Presley records 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel' for RCA in New York. The Suez Crisis The US tests the first H bomb at Bikini Atoll.
1957		St Thomas, Rokeby Street demolished		Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister Sputnik, the first manmade satellite is successfully launched.
1958	Charles Fox becomes vicar of St John's		The offices of Suffragan Bishop of Barking and Archdeacon of West Ham are separated and John Elijah Elvin became the first 'separate' Archdeacon of West Ham.	The Hula Hoop invented Nikita Krushchev becomes the Soviet leader.
1959				Britain's first motorway - the M1 - opened Fidel Castro leads the Cuban Revolution, overthrowing the Batista regime. The Dalai Lama leaves Tibet ahead of the Chinese invasion and is offered sanctuary in India.
1960				John F. Kennedy is elected president of the United States. The Civil Rights Bill is passed by the U.S. Senate. Civil war breaks out in the Congo following the granting of independence from Belgium. Start of the Vietnam War
1961	'Parish of St John with Christ Church, Stratford' created, 28th April, by joining of St John's Parish with that of Christ Church, Stratford Marsh. SEAX (external link) Last services at Christchurch.	Proposal made to unite parishes of St James, Forest Gate and Emmanuel, Forest Gate, and the demolition of St James Church St Thomas, Rokeby Street, closed and the parish joined with that of All Saints, West Ham Population of West Ham 157,367	The Rev. L. J. Derritt, Vicar of East Ham - anticipating the changes in London government - suggests a new Diocese of Barking to cover the proposed five Outer London Boroughs in Essex. He receives considerable support but no official opinion was given until 1967.	The first edition of 'Private Eye', a satirical magazine appears. Adolf Eichmann goes on trial in Jerusalem for war crimes. US Invades Cuba (The Bay of Pigs)
1962				The structure of DNA is discovered.
1963	Colin Judd becomes curate at St Johns	St Agatha's Moral Welfare Home registered as a charity, number 213882 Stratford Railway Works closed.		Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home becomes Prime Minister U. S. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Lyndon Johnson is sworn in as president. MP John Profumo resigns in a sex scandal.
1964		St James, Forest Gate, demolished West Ham wins FA Cup		Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison giving rise to international protests. Britain's first pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, begins broadcasting from the Channel, outside British waters.
1965	Colin Judd leaves St Johns for Rotherham and later Bradford	West Ham joins with East Ham, North Woolwich and Little Ilford, plus a few other minor boundary changes, and becomes the London Borough of Newham.		The Greater London Council inaugurated.
1966	'Parish of St John and Christchurch, Stratford with St James, Forest Gate' formed by joining of St James, Forest Gate, to St John's			First controlled moon landing made by Russian unmanned 'Luna IX' spacecraft. The Six-Day War, Israel
1967		Bow Bridge Flyover opened.	Archbishop Ramsey's Commission on diocesan organisation in London and the south-east recommends five dioceses for the metropolitan area - including a Diocese of Barking consisting of the five Outer London Boroughs in Essex together with Hackney and Tower Hamlets. No action follows. Church organisation made parallel with municipal, and deaneries conterminous with London Boroughs of Newham, Redbridge, etc. though not all boundaries were changed to match this, and they still remained in the diocese of Chelmsford.	Broadcast of first television programmes in colour
1968	New St James building opened on new site at northern end of St James Road.	St Agatha's Closes 5 people die in Ronan Point tower block explosion
1969				Apollo II lands a man on the moon. In France, Concorde 001 breaks the sound barrier during a test flight.
1970			The Bishop of Chelmsford designates the Suffragan See of Barking as a separate Episcopal Area - the Suffragan Bishop to have considerable autonomy. Suggestions that this Area might come within the London diocese or that the Newham Deanery might transfer within the Stepney Suffragan See meet with no enthusiasm at all.	Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister Jimi Hendrix, rock guitar hero, dies from a drug overdose in London. A state of emergency, the first in over 40 years, is called by Heath as dock workers go on strike.
1971				Introduction of decimal currency
1972				Richard Nixon is re-elected president of the United States. Britain establishes relations with East Germany.
1973				Greece becomes a republic.
1974		Stratford Centre Shopping Mall opened.		Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister for a second time. Nixon resigns the office of the president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford assumes the presidency.
1975		Christchurch demolished. Land purchased for redevelopment by Newham Council but never used.	The Bishop of Chelmsford commences a five-year trial of a new system of Episcopal Areas under which all three Suffragans (instead of just Barking) has a measure of autonomy under his overall jurisdiction and also has the responsibility for special areas of work throughout the diocese.	Vietnam War finishes
1976				James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister Jimmy Carter is elected president of the United States. An Air France Airbus is hijacked by six Palestinian terrorists with 288 passengers aboard. They fly to Entebbe.
1977				Elvis Presley dies Queen Elizabeth marks her 25th year on the throne with a Jubilee Celebration.
1978
1979	David Driscoll becomes Priest in Charge at St John's			Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first woman Prime Minister. Earl Mountbatten is assassinated by Irish terrorists.
1980	Robert Wiggs becomes curate at St John's Anne Easter becomes Deaconess			Former Beatle John Lennon is shot dead outside his New York apartment. Southern Rhodesia becomes Zimbabwe, an independent nation.
1981				MS-DOS computer operating system introduced Ronald Reagan becomes President of The United States
1982				Falklands conflict
1983	Robert Wiggs leaves St John's for East Ham (external link) John Richardson becomes Curate	Queen Mary's Hospital closes.		US invasion of Grenada £25 million in gold bars is robbed from the Brinks Mat warehouse at London's Heathrow Airport.
1984			The 'Chelmsford Episcopal Area' scheme is officially inaugurated.	The Apple Macintosh goes on sale Britain agrees to give control of Hong Kong back to China in 1997.
1985				Windows computer system introduced
1986			The Rt. Rev. John Waine becomes the Bishop of Chelmsford.	Chernobyl nuclear disaster The Australia Bill, signed by the Queen, severs all constitutional ties with Britain.
1987	Anne Easter is made Parish Deacon			The worst hurricane on record to hit British soil strikes southern England causing much damage and killing 17. Great Britain and the European Ryder Cup Team defeat the US for the first time on American soil. 'Black Monday' on Wall Street, and its ripple effect, wipe out millions on markets around the world. Charlie Chaplin's bowler and cane are sold at Christies in London for £82,500. His boots go for £38,500.
1988	Pastoral Order alters the boundaries of the parishes of 'St. John and Christchurch, Stratford with St. James, Forest Gate' and 'St. Saviour, Forest Gate with St. Matthew, West Ham' SEAX (external link)	British Rail, still committed to a southern route for international trains through Kent and into Waterloo, announce a possible series of locations for a second Channel Tunnel terminal, north of the Thames. One of the options is Stratford. Although King's Cross is selected, this begins a campaign, in Stratford, to make the case for a Eurostar station and terminus on the Rail Lands.	The Cardinal of Turin, Italy, confirmed that scientific tests had dated the origin of the famous Shroud of Turin around 1260 to 1390.	Digital cellular phones invented Reggae poet Dennis Loban is sentenced to hang, found guilty of the murder of reggae star Peter Tosh.
1989	Anne Easter leaves St John's to become Area Dean of Newham and later Chaplain to The Queen		Pope John Paul II and President Gorbachev end a 70 year cold war between the Roman Catholic Church and the Soviet Union.	Fall of the Berlin wall Nick Faldo becomes the first Englishman to win The Masters. George Herbert Walker Bush becomes President of The United States US Invasion of Panama US TV preacher, Jim Bakker, sentence to 45 years and fined $500,000 for swindling his followers out of millions.
1990	David Richards becomes Priest in Charge of St John's Forrest Atkins becomes curate			HTTP & HTML created by Tim Berners-Lee. The World Wide Web is born. John Major becomes Prime Minister The Gulf War
1991		Stratford Fruit and Vegetable Market Closes Rather than a southern approach, the government decides on an eastern route through Essex to London for new international lines - with opportunities for regeneration along the way. This is advantageous to Stratford's campaign; Newham argues the case for a station and terminus on the Rail Lands even more strongly.
1992	Maria Holmden becomes Parish Deacon	Stratford City Challenge begins. This locally led programme brings key initial improvements to Stratford, including the Regional Station, the cinema, Stratford Circus and town centre improvements. Two key government-funded programmes help achieve regeneration: Stratford and Temple Mills SRB (Single Regeneration Budget), and Stratford Tomorrow's City SRB. Each programme lasts seven years and is managed by a new local body, the Stratford Development Partnership.	Church of England approves ordination of women to the priesthood.	William Jefferson Clinton becomes President of The United States
1993		The government launches a competition to select locations for the stations between Ashford and St Pancras - Newham is as keen as ever for Stratford to be one of them.
1994	Maria Holmden becomes Curate	London and Continental Railways (LCR) submits a competition bid that includes Stratford and a commitment to regenerate the area around a new International Station on the Rail Lands - it wins.		Nelson Mandela inaugurated as president of South Africa
1995
1996	Maria Holmden leaves St John's for All Saints, Leyton Modicum Okello becomes curate	The Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act is passed by Parliament. This means that the scheme led by LCR will go ahead. An agreement with the government transfers rights to the Stratford Rail Lands to LCR.		The Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act is passed by Parliament.
1997	David Richards is made Vicar of St Johns Forrest Atkins leaves St John's for a Chaplaincy in Dubai The Archdeacon of West Ham, The Ven. Michael Fox, digs the first hole for the new church extension.	LCR runs a competition to find development partners for the regeneration of Stratford. A consortium made up of the property developers Chelsfield and Stanhope is the winner. Masterplanning architects Arup help prepare their proposal and continue to work on the scheme. An order under the Transport and Works Act secures formal government consent for the International Station.		Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister
1998	Church extension opened by Rt Rev Roger Sainsbury, Bishop of Barking, and Stephen Timms MP.
1999	Modicum Okello leaves St John's for St Matthew's, West Ham (external link)	Jubilee Line Extension to Stratford opens.		The New Millennium is celebrated worldwide, a year early.
2000	John Richardson leaves St John's for St Mary, Henham			George Walker Bush becomes President of The United States
2001		The Victorian Theatre Royal, Stratford East, made famous by Joan Littlewood, is reopened after a £7 million refurbishment Work begins on Section 2 of the CTRL. Ground is broken on the Stratford Rail Lands and work begins to prepare for construction of the International Station. The Stratford City Development Partnership, which consists of Chelsfield, Stanhope and LCR, and which has been working together on plans since 1997, is formally set up.		The World Trade Towers in New York City are destroyed by commercial airliners hijacked by terrorists.
2002	James Maddern becomes curate at St John's	Work begins on site to excavate deep underground railway tunnels that lead from Stratford to St Pancras and from Stratford to Dagenham. The earth from the tunnels will be used to raise the land at Stratford by 6 metres.		Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people. The US and an international coalition of forces attack Afghanistan.
2003		The Stratford City Development partners submit their outline planning application - a huge document that needs a van to carry it - to the London Borough of Newham, surrounding boroughs and other planning bodies. Planning Aid for London helps local people and organisations interpret and feed back on the detail of one of the largest planning applications ever in the UK!
2004	James Maddern, St John's Curate, marries Katie Pearce at St John's. 2004 in Pictures	Newham Council, The Government Office for London and the Mayor of London approve the Stratford City planning application. London wins its bid for the 2012 Olympics.		Invasion of Iraq.
2005	James Maddern leaves St Johns for a cross country mission to South Africa 2005 in Pictures	The Agreement between the Stratford City Development Partners and the London Borough of Newham is signed. This guarantees the developers will build 4,850 homes, 30 per cent of which will be affordable or key worker housing. They will put £120 million towards community benefits such as education, training and employment, health, leisure, transport and the environment. A joint venture is also set up between the LDA and Stratford City to create the Olympic Village together. The Stratford City Development Partners submit their masterplan for Zone 1 (the Town Centre District).		Sumatran earthquake rocks Indonesia, and at magnitude 8.7 is the second strongest earthquake since 1965. Terrorist explosions occur on the London Underground network and on a London Bus.
2006	Darren McIndoe becomes curate at St John's 2006 in Pictures	Enabling works begin on the Stratford City site, towards the construction of Phase 1 (Town Centre Extension).
2007	2007 in Pictures	The new Channel Tunnel Rail Link route becomes operative.		Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister
2008	2008 in Pictures			The biggest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years, 5.2 magnitude, shakes homes across large parts of the country, particularly at the epicentre near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. Boris Johnson unseats Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London UK house prices show their biggest annual fall since the Nationwide began its housing survey in 1991, while the US government steps in to save Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the country's two largest lenders Barak Obama becomes President of The United States
2009	Darren McIndoe leaves St John's to take up the position of Associate Minister at Emmanuel, Forest Gate & later Rector of Burslem and Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent. 2009 in Pictures	Angel Cottage in Windmill Lane, one of the oldest buildings in Stratford, is illegally demolished by a property developer.
2010		Stratford International Station due to open.
2011