Revd. Harvey Read about Revd. Harvey

Revd. Frederick Pearce Pope Harvey was inducted as vicar of St. James’s on April 3rd 1923 with a “beautiful service, much enhanced by the singing of the choir and the very tasteful decoration of the Church”. Twelve years previously he had been appointed Curate in Charge of All Saints, Hampton, where he conducted services in rather a ‘high’ manner compared to the tradition at St. James’s.

To quote from the 'Birth and Growth of Hampton Hill': "There was great dissension in the village on his preferment from being curate of All Saints’, Hampton, where he had conducted services in a manner considered 'high' by St. James’s standards. As a result of a public meeting there was a deputation to the Bishop of London, and a parish canvass was held, but, nevertheless, his appointment was upheld. On coming to his new parish he gave a public undertaking to hold services in a manner acceptable to St. James’s, and this he was scrupulous in doing. After this stormy beginning he settled down to a comparatively uneventful twenty-eight years."

Witness/Mission
The Missionary Working Party was reorganised and renamed the Parochial Working Party in December 1923. Its object was to help the work of the church overseas and to assist the parish in raising money for certain projects like building a new parish hall. Revd. Harvey wanted to create a greater and wider interest in the work of the church overseas. The March 1924 magazine reported: “At present, interest in Foreign Missions is confined to a mere handful of parishioners. All who call themselves Christians are bound by Christ’s command to His would-be disciples to go and preach the Gospel to every creature. If they are hindering the carrying out of this command by lack of sympathy, prayers or financial help, they are guilty of neglect of a solemn duty.” Revd. Harvey explained that the church tried to give as much help as possible to three Societies, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Church Missionary Society and the Colonial and Continental Church Society. In order to arouse interest he arranged some missionary lantern lectures during Lent. A Missionary School was held for a week in 1926 with lectures on the work of the church overseas and was described as "an educational adventure". The following year the Missionary Association created a new missionary library in the baptistry and every month included information about what it was doing in the news section of the magazine.

Social Events
From 1923 the winter monthly socials were commonly known as the Vicar's Socials. There were "Lantern Lectures and Cinematograph Exhibitions" in 1926, and some years later the winter season was started with a "Parish Social" which was "not merely a Parish Dance but a real Sociable Evening which will lead to a greater family feeling, and that a greater interest in parochial affairs may be the result." The main social function of St. James's Church by 1930 was the Summer Fête which these days was held not just to entertain the parish, but also as a matter of financial necessity. It gave the parish an opportunity to help the church in its less “palmy” days as the church had helped it in its days of financial need. Hampton Hill continued to celebrate its Patronal Festival of St. James’s Day much more than many other parishes as the whole parish owed so much to the church. However in July 1934, "although it has of late been shorn of much of its social side there is still the spiritual and more important part of the Festival. Our acts of thanksgiving for the example of the life of the Apostle to whose name and memory the Church is dedicated cannot be too many". At a meeting of the Parochial Church Council in 1933 a Social Committee was formed to provide “parochial social entertainment” such as dances, concerts, whist-drives, bridge-drives, community singing and lectures. “With such a committee the stigma of dullness should be removed from Hampton Hill." It was hoped that the entertainments that they organised would bring in some of the much needed money for the church and the vicar kept stressing that the support of the congregation was vital in realising this.

The church in the 1930s

Schools
In 1924 the managers were informed that the Middlesex County Council proposed to build a mixed senior school in Windmill Road, and that the church schools should then accommodate infants and mixed juniors. The managers said that they were “strongly opposed to a mixed school in principle,” and referred the Council back to the 1920 plan. In 1925 the church schools were placed on the “black list,” and in the next year the Board of Education wrote to ask the managers’ intentions as to the future of their schools. Later in the year the Board outlined three schemes and the managers chose a school for two hundred children to the age of nine. In 1927 the Middlesex County Council insisted that the church school should be a mixed school and although against their principles, the managers had to give in. They appealed to the parishioners for funds to carry out the necessary repairs. Revd. Harvey wrote, “The School Managers’ . . . one desire has been to do what is best for the children in the parish, and to devise some plan whereby the greatest number of children may still be kept under the influence of the Church . . . it is of the most extreme importance in these days that the children should be well grounded in the Faith upon which our great national character has been built up.” He called them to a meeting, and said that £150 would have to be raised that year. The response was so disappointing that the managers were compelled to report to the Middlesex County Council that “they have no alternative but to leave the matter in the hands of the Committee to provide the necessary accommodation.” Thus the attempt to maintain the schools as church schools came to an end in 1928.

The Church Inventory of 1938 showed the record of ornaments, furniture, vessels, vestments, books, stained glass windows, memorials and other articles, in and belonging to the Parish Church of St. James, Hampton Hill, Middlesex.

Running the Church
In November 1924 Revd. Harvey announced: "The Rev. B. Kitchin is taking up his residence amongst us, and is going to take his share in the services and organisations. To the Rev. F. J. Laughton, Curate-in-charge, I owe a great debt of gratitude for his kind help." Revd. Laughton helped out again when Revd. Kitchin became ill, then Mr. Ernest Richard Milton was ordained and became curate in 1926. However only two years later, he was asked to find work elsewhere as the Parochial Church Council were faced with a financial deficit and were unable to raise the necessary stipend (£250 per annum) for a full time assistant priest.

During this time the church still had both a verger and a sexton. The Easter Vestry continued alongside the Parochial Church Meetings and, although in 1930 there were three hundred names on the Electoral Roll, only a small proportion attended the meeting or actually got involved with church work. Read the article Parochial Church Meeting and Easter Vestry. At a Parochial Church Council meeting in 1924 three committees were elected for special pieces of parochial work. A Structural Committee was chosen to look after the fabric of the church, taking the church room under its wing as well; a Missionary Committee was appointed to create and further interest in the Mission Work of the church at home and abroad; and a Churchyard Committee was formed for the purpose of stirring up practical interest in the work of getting the churchyard into order and removing any cause for complaint about its untidy state.

The Assessment Scheme: "In this Parish the scheme has not been a success to such a degree that the omission of collections at Church' Services could be entertained, because it did not receive the whole hearted support of each individual member of the Congregation. The table above gives the number of subscribers and the sum received each year from 1923 to 1930, and in the top line is given the promises received on a canvass of the Parish in the previous year."

Finance
From the beginning Revd. Harvey continued the recently set up Assessment Scheme, where the aim was that all who made use of the church for any spiritual reason should give their financial support by assessing themselves according to their means. For churchgoers the scheme gave the opportunity for regular and systematic giving which “did away with the necessity of reminding people of their obligations by constantly asking them for contributions towards this, that and the other fund”. The scheme covered the maintenance of the church and the services, the curate’s stipend, the up-keep of the churchyard, and the running of organisations like the Sunday School, the Band of Hope, the Church Lads’ Brigade, and scripture prizes for the Day Schools.

However, this whole period was overshadowed by acute money worries. The Assessment Scheme was not as successful as Revd. Harvey had hoped because the scheme had not received the support of all the members of the congregation. Although the scheme started well, both numbers and the amount brought in decreased over the years due to death or the removal of subscribers. Consequently collections at services had to continue alongside the scheme. Every month, in the magazine, Revd. Harvey told the parish about the money problems and asked them to help, either with donations or by joining the Assessment Scheme. The annual Summer Fete and Jumble Sale were held to try to raise funds but eventually, since it was not possible to dispense with church collections, the Fund became the Freewill Offering Fund in May 1931. Read the article Assessment Scheme. For a few years in the early 1940s a Gift Day was held for the church funds. This was when the vicar sat in Church to receive offerings from parishioners. It replaced the Fete and "was a very gratifying substitute". However the parish could no longer afford a curate and the church began to fall into disrepair. Eventually the urgent and much needed repairs to the spire were carried out as the result of a parish-wide collection in 1947.

Windows erected in the baptistry by parishioners and friends in 1923 in memory of the previous vicar, Revd. Coad-Pryor, after his death in 1923: 'I am the Good Shepherd' and 'I am the Light of the World'.

The Church Building
Several gifts, a new altar service book, a litany desk and new acorn shaped lights, were given to the church in 1923. Stained glass windows in the baptistry: 'I am the Good Shepherd' and 'I am the Light of the World', were dedicated to the previous vicar, Revd. Coad-Pryor, in 1923. During the ceremony Revd. Harvey said “We shall, I am sure, long remember his comforting words of advice”. A church flag, a handsome St. George's flag, was presented to the church and replaced the old Union Jack which was very much the worse for wear. The new flag was flown for the first time on the occasion of the 1935 fete.

The church clock was repaired in 1924 and “may once more be relied upon for catching the business trains. Some have already expressed their pleasure in hearing their old friend chiming forth the hours. I hope that many who have missed the clock's timely aid will send me donations to help pay for its cleaning and repairing.” Again in 1934, “the clock has not been behaving itself in its usual correct manner just lately. This is because the wire of the striker has broken”. The clock was consequently cleaned and mended.

A Children’s Corner was established in the church and was dedicated in June, 1936. “That it will serve a useful purpose has already been made certain. There are several children who spend some time during the week reading the books and thinking upon the things that really matter.”

In December 1940 a British Wellington bomber, the crew of which had bailed out when their plane had become uncontrollable due to icing, crashed on to No. 63, Park Road, the home of Lady Stanton. The tip of the plane’s wing knocked off one of the crosses from one of the four pinnacles at the base of St. James’s Spire.

After a parish-wide collection, much needed repairs to the clock and spire were undertaken in 1947. The spire had been badly shaken during the bombing in the war and steeple-jacks set to work making good the damage.

The Parish Hall
At the Parochial Church Council Meeting in February 1929 an important and historic document was signed - the Deed conveying the sites of the old schools to the Parochial Church Council. The relations of Revd. Fitz Wygram, who originally owned the site and buildings, kindly gave them to the church. The girls’ and infants’ buildings were kept as they were for the holding of Sunday School, clubs, etc., letting a sufficient portion of it to bring in funds towards their maintenance and upkeep. It was hoped that the boys’ school building would be turned into a parish hall "worthy of the Parish" for about £900. This building had been used for social functions and letting but over the years had fallen into a state of disrepair. The County Licensing Committee refused to license it unless drastic alterations were made, at considerable expense. Consequently, it was decided to remodel this old building to provide a parish hall. The hall became “a roomy, cosy hall, with every necessary convenience to make it a most desirable place for holding any public or private entertainment in”. The December 1930 magazine reported that Revd. Harvey was determined "that it should not only be a hall in which dances, concerts and the like are held, but one in which lectures for young and old are provided, in fact it must stand for the improvement of the mind as well as the enjoyment of the body".

Its opening in 1932 was a great event in the history of the parish and was filled for the occasion which was performed by the Rt. Hon. Lord Daryngton. The Rural Dean said prayers, after which Revd. Harvey explained how it had always been his wish to have a hall in the parish worthy of its name and thanked everyone involved. Mrs. Terry, representing the District Council, said that the hall would be a great asset to the district. After the singing of the National Anthem, tea was served to all present and an inspection of the building was made. In the evening a Social and Dance was held for a full house. Read the articles The New Parish Hall.

The new vicarage was built in 1937 after the old, rambling and uneconomical vicarage was demolished. The new one was more suitable and is still in use today.

The Vicarage
There was much controversy when Revd. Harvey decided to sell the vicarage grounds bordering St. James’s Road. “This gave rise to much bitterness in the vicinity and several old-established families left the church. In 1939 the residents of the large houses opposite were so disgusted by the invasion of their privacy that many of them gathered up their goods and chattels, held last regretful tennis parties and moved away in search of fresh fields and pastures new”. With the money gained from the sale he had the old, rambling and uneconomical vicarage demolished and in 1937 built a new more suitable one which is still in use today. Read the article The Vicarage Grounds.

The new lych gates that were gifted to the church

The Churchyard
Keeping the cemetery tidy has always been a problem with constant reports of damage to the lych gate, fences and even the graves themselves. In October 1923, the men of the parish were asked to help and a churchyard committee, made up of “workers rather than talkers”, was formed to deal with the matter. In 1924 the churchyard was further extended into the vicarage field with much of the preparatory work being done by voluntary help to reduce costs. A new wall was built to keep the dogs out and the gate was kept locked except for a few hours in the daytime. The Bishop of Kensington consecrated the extended churchyard in 1928. More work was done the following year with the trees being lopped, the space around the water tap being bricked and made tidy, and dustbins being provided for the rubbish. New lych gates were added as a gift and these made an improvement to the Park Road entrance to the churchyard.

In 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War the church was used as a rest centre after air raids. In 1940 an RAF plane, returning from a raid over Germany, crashed onto Lady Stanton’s home, 63 Park Road, after the crew had bailed out when their plane had become uncontrollable due to icing. “The house was soon completely gutted and sparks and flaming debris showered the roofs of nearby houses. The Revd. F. P. P. Harvey was on firewatch duty that night and he paraded St. James’s Road, sheltering under a large umbrella, keeping an eye on the roofs in case the fire spread. It was anxious work since the ammunition from the Wellington’s guns kept exploding in the heat and it was thought at first that enemy planes were machine-gunning the fire.” It was so near St. James’s Church but only knocked off the cross at the top of one of the tower pinnacles by the tip of its wing.

Groups
The many and various groups, clubs and societies continued during Revd. Harvey's incumbency. These included the Home and Foreign Missionary Societies, Waifs' and Strays' Society, Church of England Temperance Society, Colonial and Continental Church Society, Band of Hope, Bible Class for Men, Church of England Temperance Society, Hampton Deanery Association for Rescue and Preventive Work, Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Communicants' Guild, Mothers Meeting, Mothers Union and Church Missionary Society.

Hearing that prayer groups could be one way of strengthening parish life, six parishioners started meeting regularly in 1950, praying together for the parish, for people known to be sick, and for other parishes, people and interests. They came to value this fellowship and welcomed new members and the new ideas they would bring with them. Read the article The Beginning of a Prayer Group.

Groups like the guides and brownies, Church Lads' Brigade, Lads' Bible Class and Bible Classes for Girls, continued for the youngsters. At the same time more general clubs were inaugurated to take in all sections of the village youth. Amongst these were the Girls' Friendly Society and the Young Peoples' Social Guild. The object of the latter was to "draw young communicants, and those who are anticipating becoming communicants in the very near future, together for social intercourse. There were lectures and talks of a serious, as well as of an educational nature."

The 1st Hampton Hill Sea Scouts were registered in 1925 although they had actually been inaugurated in 1919. They held their weekly meetings in the church room and attended church parade on the last Sunday in the month. Years later they acquired new headquarters on the river and eventually severed all connection with St. James’s. The 1st Hampton Hill Cub Pack was inaugurated in 1927. The vicar encouraged and supported the good work the small boys of the parish were doing. The 3rd Hampton Hill St. James’s Troop was formed in 1949. Although the uniformed groups were not strictly church organisations they attended church parades on the first Sunday of the month (and still do) and joined in the good causes in the village.

Sunday School
During this time the annual Sunday School treat continued to be an outing on the train, often to Brighton, and the "Tiny Tots" had their treat in the vicarage garden. There was also the annual Sunday School prizegiving with buns and oranges. In 1936 there were three “departments” in the Sunday School. The September edition of the magazine reported: “The real and important work of the Sunday School is done in the morning. The boys and girls departments meet at 10 o’clock at the Parish Hall and Club Room respectively and it is there that the instruction is given by the teachers…….. In the afternoon the children meet at 2.30 and are taken to Church for the Children’s Service. The Infants meet at 10.30 in the morning and at 2.30 in the afternoon at the Church Room in St. James’s Road.” Read the article about Sunday School Teachers.

A wooden replica of the church was built by a civil defence worker some time during the war. It was used to advertise the church repair fund. It was, and still is, displayed in the baptistry.

Worship/Services
During the course of his incumbency, Revd. Harvey made many changes to the patterns of worship at St. James's. The daily celebration of the Holy Communion started up again in 1923 with the idea that each day one or two aspects of the church's work would be remembered. Ninety five "young soldiers of Christ" were confirmed in the church in 1924. A Gift Sunday was introduced in the same year when the children could bring their discarded toys and books to the Children's Service, and offer them as presents to the boys and girls who were not so fortunate. On the fourth Sunday in each month, from 1925, choral celebration of the Holy Communion was started. It was explained that “this simply means that instead of the Choir going out after the prayer for the Church Militant, they will remain in their places and sing those parts in the rest of the service which are usually sung”.

Several young communicants asked Revd. Harvey for a celebration of the Holy Communion at seven o'clock on one Sunday in the month. So in September 1925, he decided to do this on the fourth Sunday in the month. This was Church Parade Sunday for the Girl Guides and the Church Lads' Brigade, and so with "this additional opportunity more of the members should make their Communions regularly in the future". In 1926 daily matins and evensong were revived and an evening service was started on Wednesdays at 8.00. In the October 1926 magazine Revd. Harvey said: "I feel that if more would make an effort to attend the daily Celebration of the Holy Communion and make reasonable use of these further opportunities for prayer and intercession, a much more spiritual atmosphere would be created in the parish than is at present in evidence." The Communicants' Guild was revived in the same year with the vicar saying “We hope to make this not only a medium of assistance in the preparation for our Communions, but also an opportunity of giving instruction on the Sacrament, about which there is considerable lack of knowledge with the average communicant”.

The baptism certificate for Barbara Winifred Collins who was baptised on June 6th 1928.

Revd. Harvey increased the opportunities for Holy Baptism from once a month to three times a month in 1928. In the same year the Litany was introduced on the second Sunday, unless the Sunday was a Saint’s Day or Festival. A monthly 'Daily Readings and Notes' in connection with the Bible Reading Fellowship was introduced in 1931. A new venture during Lent in 1932 was a course of Devotional Instructions being given in turn in the three churches in the District of Hampton. Then at the beginning of 1933 some of the weekday services were changed and others stopped altogether. In December 1933 "there were two services for thanking and praising God for His House of Prayer in our midst on the occasion of the Dedication Festival on the seventieth birthday of the church". In the magazine edition of December 1934 Revd. Harvey reported: “On and after Advent Sunday I am going to separate Matins and Sermon from the Holy Communion Service on the first and third Sundays of the month. It will mean a break in the tradition of the parish but I feel it will be for the better edification of all and especially the children.” The Bishop of London called all church people to observe a Week of Prayer and Self-Denial in 1936. Read an article about Week of Prayer and Self-Denial.

The church lit up to celebrate Victory in Europe Day (V.E. Day) May 8th 1945.

Music
Mr. Russe and the choir frequently received praise from the vicar: ".... deserve our best thanks for the excellent way in which they rendered the musical portion of the services". Revd. and Mrs. Harvey entertained the adult members of the choir in the vicarage and the choir boys were always treated to a summer outing and a winter trip to the pantomine. On Christmas Day, 1928, new Ancient and Modern hymn books were available for the choir. The January edition of the magazine reported: “The supplying of these books was made possible by a generous grant made by the Committee of Hymns Ancient and Modern, to whom we are grateful, by the gift of a sum of money (£2 5s. 9d.) from the old Parochial Socials’ Committee, which, at any rate for the time being, has ceased to function……….” Mr. Lower was appointed organist and choirmaster in 1932 from forty-three applications. He was "young, keen and energetic, with a desire for the reverent rendering of the musical portion of the services". Congregational singing practice after evensong was introduced in 1933 to help the congregation join in the singing "more heartily" and the following year the programme of hymns and music was published each month in the magazine. By January 1948 the organist was Mr. C. Haydn-Bull, M.I.G.C.M. In 1926 a Choir Festival was held in the church with the choirs of St. James’s, Hampton Parish Church and All Saints Church, Hampton.

The organ was cleaned and underwent a thorough overhaul, being "relieved of its accumulation of dust" in April 1932. While reporting this, Revd. Harvey added "By-the-bye, are there no tenors in Hampton Hill?" The December 1950 edition of the magazine reported: “If music is to be raised to its highest level of usefulness, there must be soul, technique, and a proper means of expression. That is where the Organ Builder becomes our ally, and to secure the best results we must be in possession of an Organ that is the expression of these qualities, so that the whole service may be lifted to a dignity and beauty that is otherwise impossible.”

The Parish Magazine of May 1935 The Parish Magazine of January 1943

Magazine
From the early 1920s there were certain regular items included in every magazine: a letter from the vicar, the intercessions, parish news including details of services and preachers, accounts, donations, subscription lists, church music and the following sections: "IMPORTANT - Will all those who are responsible for Church Work please send in a full report by the 20th of each month, by so doing it will not only be of great use to our readers, but greatly forward the work of the Church"; "PARISH WANTS - a Parish Hall, a Litany Desk, a Bier for use in Church at Funerals, approximate cost about £30, a Piano for the Infants' School' a Bath Chair"; "CHURCHYARD - Contributions towards keeping the Churchyard and the graves tidy will be welcomed"; "THE VICAR may be seen at the Vicarage on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, between the hours of 8.45 and 10 a.m. And on any day, except Mondays, between the hours of 6 and 7 p.m."

In the January 1931 magazine Revd. Harvey reported: "In order to make the magazine more interesting I have rearranged it and I hope to receive each month matter of general interest from those concerned." In each magazine there were parochial notes at the top with times and venues of all the activities taking place, then the vicar's letter, Special Days to Remember, Services and Preachers, Missionary Association and then other items of news, finishing with baptisms, marriage and burials. The first magazines to have their own covers showing service details are from 1933.

The January 1943 edition of the magazine changed the design of its front cover. In November the printer reported that there must be a drastic cut in the size of the magazine from January 1944 as a “war-time necessity”. The 1943 November magazine reported: "This will mean a considerable condensation of matter. For the time being the cover will disappear. The inset, the 'Church Monthly, will appear as usual, as well as the Diocesan Leaflet. This will of course upset the present system of advertising and will mean a small reduction in the cost. It is a war-time necessity and we shall return to the normal issue at the earliest opportunity." There are no magazines in the archives between January 1937 and March 1950, apart from all the 1943 magazines and January 1948. It is not known whether this is because they were not produced or were not saved.

The July 1950 magazine reported: "We are most anxious that the parish should think of this magazine as their own. We want to include articles of interest, help and encouragement, and we want the members of our Church to come forward themselves with contributions and ideas. We want to include a news column: to have for example, knowledge of special birthdays, of Wedding anniversaries, of examinations passed; the names of young people about to do their National Service, and of people who are going away on interesting holidays; we want to know of local festivities, events; we would like to know of people who have recovered from long illness. In short we want to be told of everything which is going on in the parish, and of events outside it of which Christians should take note, so that the Church may add its interest, prayer and good wishes."

The End of Revd. Harvey's Incumbency
From the late 1940s Revd. Harvey’s health deteriorated and so a great deal of the work of running the parish fell on the laity. Finally in June, 1950, after a long period in which he had been unable to carry out his duties, Revd. Harvey retired and was thanked for his loyalty and service. Read the article Vicar to Leave. The Revd. A. H. Harper, B.A. looked after the parish until a new vicar was appointed. Revd. Harvey died at his sister's home in Blundellsands in February 1954 at the age of seventy-six and was buried in St. James's Churchyard.