Record

Repository	Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
Ref No	AAW/DOW/PAR/25
Title	Camden Town, Our Lady of Hal
Level	Series
Description	After the 1st World War Belgium lay devastated. The Missionary Fathers of Scheut, also known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, were determined to establish a base from which they could direct their missionary efforts and be safe from the disruption of invasion. Their eyes turned towards their wartime ally - Britain. Many Belgian refugees were already resident in London and a church here would serve the double purpose of being a refuge for the Belgian community of London and a base for missionary activities. They explored London and eventually settled on a site in Camden Town. They built a small chapel (the Little Hut) on the opposite side of the road from the present church and threw open their doors to the local Catholic community in early 1922. It was the first Catholic church in the immediate area and was soon bursting at the seams, particularly as the Irish became the dominant migrant group in Camden town. By 1933 the Belgian Fathers felt a permanent Church was justifiable and they commissioned the Irish architect, Wilfred Mangan, to design and build a place of worship for them that would reflect its Belgian origins. A copy of the original, miraculous statue that still stands as protectress of the people of Hal was placed in a chapel in the south side of the church.

Album amicorum of George Strachan

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