Plaque

Ted and Hilda Bowman

Inscription

All Hallows Church Gardens. Ted Bowman, volunteer head gardener, 1970 - 2014, & Hilda Bowman, adored wife. An inspiration to our community.

Site: All Hallows Church (1 memorial)

SE1, Copperfield Street, All Hallows Church garden

The Bowman plaque can be seen in our photo at the bottom left. A notice board just outside our photo, to the right, gives some history of the church as follows:

This garden and the building behind it are on the site of the original All Hallows Church. the original church was built to a design by George Gilbert Scott Junior {1839–97, son of Sir George Gilbert Scott} in 1879-80. After many years of service, the church was bombed twice during WW2. Gutted by a landmine, it remained in its damaged state until well after the war.

It was not until 1957 that any attempt was made to salvage the bombed remains. The main structure was demolished and the northern part - the Lady Chapel - and the crypt were incorporated into a new smaller church building {the west wall of which can just be seen to the extreme right of our photo} designed by Thomas F. Ford {1891-1971}.

The new church was built through the enthusiasm and vision of George Reindorp {1911-90, became a bishop in 1961}, a former Provost at Southwark Cathedral. It was opened and consecrated in Autumn 1958. the remainder of the site was turned into this small simple garden. The crucifix you see at the {east} end of the garden stands on what was once the alter of the original church. The smaller church was in use until 1971 when a dwindling congregation meant it was no longer sustainable.

George Reindorp commissioned the renowned WW2 artist, Hans Feibusch {1898 – 1998}, to paint a mural for the church.... The mural remains in All Hallows, but has been bricked up for decades.

All Hallows - the cradle of Brit Pop?
For a period of time in the early 1980s, All Hallows Church was converted into a recording studio and became the home of the hits. Blackwing Studios was where Depeche Mode laid down their debut album, Speak and Spell, and it was also here that Yazoo made their early recordings. Blackwing was one of the studios that led the way in producing the synth sound associated with Brit-Pop. The studios closed in September 2001. The building has been empty ever since.

Copperfield Garden - Our Ethos
Located on one of the last remaining undeveloped bomb sites in central London, this award-winning garden was created by local volunteers nearly 40 years ago who have also fought for its preservation as a community space open to all. ... Copperfield Street Community Garden is still entirely looked after, managed and opened by community volunteers.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Ted and Hilda Bowman

Subjects commemorated i

Edward Bowman

Known as Ted Bowman, he was a volunteer head gardener at All Hallows Church G...

Read More

Hilda Bowman

Married to Ted Bowman. April 2025; We were contacted by Teresa Waller, Ted a...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Black Prince Road ceramics - plaque 04

Black Prince Road ceramics - plaque 04

SE11, Black Prince Road, Tunnel underneath railway bridge

These lovely ceramics plaques were installed some time in or before 2008. There are 12 oval ceramics of which 7 nos 1-7) are mosaic and r...

1 subject commemorated
St Mary Rotherhithe Free School

St Mary Rotherhithe Free School

SE16, St Marychurch Street, 70

The watch-house is the low building to the right of the one with the scholar statues.  the blue plaque you can just see to the left is fo...

4 subjects commemorated
Tower of London execution site - 1972

Tower of London execution site - 1972

EC3, Tower Green, Tower of London

In the first 2 minutes of the 1972 CCF film "The Boy Who Turned Yellow" some boys are taken on a school trip to the Tower of London and w...

Highgate Cemetery - Fire - R12 - Potts

Highgate Cemetery - Fire - R12 - Potts

N6, Swain's Lane, Highgate Cemetery

The plot consists of 36 graves acquired by the London Fire Brigade Widows and Orphans Fund (founded in1882 by Massey Shaw, who, probably ...

1 subject commemorated
Charles Pope VC

Charles Pope VC

E1, Sidney Square

{Below an image of a Victoria Cross medal:} Lieutenant Charles Pope, Australian Imperial Force (Western Australia), 15th April 1917.

War dead | WW1
2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator

Previously viewed

Irving

Irving

N1, Claremont Square, 4

At the time this was Myddelton Terrace.

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
A. E. Housman

A. E. Housman

Alfred Edward Housman. Born near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire. Classical scholar, lyrical poet. On his twelfth birthday his mother died. He initially failed his degree at Oxford but went on to be a...

Person, Poetry

2 memorials
Penny Post

Penny Post

First established in London in 1680 by William Dockwra and his business partner, Robert Murray, operating only within the City of London, the City of Westminter and Southwark. From 1765 similar ser...

Event, Commerce

6 memorials
F. R. Playford

F. R. Playford

Loco Carriage & Wagon

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Unknown warrior arrival

Unknown warrior arrival

SW1, Victoria Station

The vehicle used for the delivery was the Cavell Van, the railway wagon which had previously been used for two ceremonial journeys from D...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator