THE GREAT WAR PROJECT

The First World War, or The Great War, lasted from 1914 – 1918 and during the centenary years we initiated a project to explore its impact upon our parish. The parish of St Bartholomew on Stamford Hill was formed in 1904 and the local area was still growing in residents during the time of the war. We wanted to discover how this new urban community, on the Home Front, experienced and commemorated these global events. Our starting point was the church’s war memorial that was set up during wartime itself as a way of recording all those who served during the war – a handwritten cross was placed next to the names of those who died. We looked at the service registers, stained glass windows, memorials, Stations of the Cross, a Russian icon and the organ as sources of information. Our project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and we made a series of short videos to tell the story of the social and spiritual impact of the war.