History of St. Barnabas Church

In The Lady Chapel is a

stained glass window dedicated to Clara Mary Griffiths

donated by her husband and children to her memory

Former Curates In Charge and Vicars of

      CHURCH OF St.BARNABAS TUFFLEY GLOUCESTER								
Curates In Charge
								
1907 -1909			Herbert Lavallin Puxley M.A.
					
1909 - 1917			George Adsley Piper B.A.
					
1917 - 1923			William Josiah Joyce A.K.C.
					
1923 - 1927			Mark Elliott Perfitt B.A., LTh
					
1928 - 1948			Thomas William Lambert Lth. Curate from 1928 - 1930 and 					
			                                    Vicar from 1930 - 1948					
Vicars
								
1948 - 1950			Fredrick John Newth M.A.
					
1951 - 1955			Thomas Henry Callender M.A.
					
1955 - 1964			Richard Bickersteth Roscoe Walker B.A.
					
1965 - 1982 		George Robert Henry Smith 
					
1982 - 1992			Anthony John Minchin M.A.
					
1993 - 1997			Crispin M.R. Penberton M.Theol	
				
1998 - 2006     	Marilyn Sharland (Canon)					
								
								

The First Church of St Barnabas, Tuffley
In 1907, the "Tuffley Conventional District" was formed, mainly as part of the Parish of St. Paul's, Gloucester, though it incorporated some portions of the neighbouring Matson and Hempstead Parishes. The old stone building (built in 1881 to house Tuffley School until its pupils were transferred to the newly-built Calton Road School) was consecrated as a church. It was dedicated to Saint Barnabas, the companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. The Revd. Herbert Puxley of St. Paul's Parish became Curate-in-Charge.

A New Wooden Church
The congregation grew as large numbers of houses were built in the old hamlet of Tuffley - the terminus of Gloucester's No. 1 Tram Route. In 1922 (whilst the Revd. William Joyce was Parish Priest) a temporary timber-framed church was built on a site adjoining the old school building.

With the consecration of the new "St. Barnabas Church" - the old school building became the Parish Hall and has remained in use for a wide range of parish and community activities to this day.

The Present Church is Built
St. Barnabas Tuffley was made a Parish in its own right in May 1930, with the Revd. (later Canon) Thomas W. Lambert was iustalled as its first Vicar. "Tommy" Lambert, as he was affectionately known, soon began to plan and fund-raise for a permanent church. Construction of the present Saint Barnabas Church, at a cost of about £13,000, began in 1938. It was completed after the onset of World War II, and was consecrated by Bishop Headlam on September 28th 1940.

The "temporary" wooden church building remains in use as a spacious and attractive Parish Hall.

"The Best Interwar Church in the County".
The new church of St. Barnabas Tuffley was designed by the distinguished architect Mr N. F. Cachemaille-Day, and constructed (under increasing difficulties as men and materials were diverted to the war effort) by the local firm of T.W. Nicholls & Son. To link new with old, stones from Gloucester Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey were built into the East Wall, beside the high altar. The attractive stained glass of the East Window was designed by Christopher Webb. The late 19C stone font came from Kempley Church.

A major programme of repair and refurbishment of St. Barnabas Church began, following a fire in the Choir Vestry in June 1997. This was completed in June 2002 at a total cost of about £300,000, aided by a major grant from English Heritage, a number of generous grants and gifts from organisations and well-wishers and a many fund-raising efforts by Parishioners.

In 1998, the St. Barnabas Church building was upgraded from a Grade II to a II* Listing under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. It is described in the current edition of Pevsner as "the best interwar church in the county".

The Church grounds were not landscaped until after the War - a garden of rest with memorial cross, being dedicated on Sunday, June 11th 1950 (St. Barnabas' Day) by Bishop Woodward. It is interesting to note that Cachemaille-Day had planned for these grounds to be a car park!

A Daughter Church that Became the Parish of St. Georges, Lower Tuffley
In November 1940, the Revd. J. Raynor Wood was ordained a deacon of the Parish and given special charge of the new housing areas West of the railway line. Church services began in the Estate Office, Randwick Road, in February 1941; continuing to foster under the Parish's wing until 1948, when Saint George's, Lower Tuffley, became a Conventional District - later becoming a Parish in its own right.

A Second Daughter Church - St. Michael's, Tuffley Court
Saint Barnabas' Parish continued to grow as new housing estates were built on its southern boundary. In late 1955 - shortly after the Revd. Richard Walker became Vicar - a daughter church was built to serve the large new Tuffley Court estate. In December 1955 the building was dedicated to St. Michael, (after the recently deconsecrated Church of St. Michael at The Cross). St. Michael's served a small, but loyal, congregation for 46 years, with the building serving the dual use (for which it was intended) of a community hall. It ceased to be used for worship after a Service of Thanksgiving conducted by Bishop David on the 28th July 2001.