St Augustine's Church and Centre Garden

The parish of St Augustine's is within the South Croydon Benefice along with the parish of St Peter's Croydon (q.v.). St Augustine's was originally built as a daughter church to St Peter's in 1884 to serve the poorer people of the parish, of whom there were some 3,000 at the time. In seeking donations for the project, it was made clear that all seating was to be ‘free and unappropriated’. The church was designed by John Oldrid Scott (1841-1913), son of Sir George Gilbert Scott and Caroline Oldrid. Sir George had lived at Blunt House in St Peter’s parish and designed St Peter’s church. John Oldrid had taken over his father's business on the latter's death in 1878.  An article in 'The Building News', 25 November 1881, reported on the new church 'to be built in a new district which has grown up on the south side of the town. It will stand well on the slope of a hill by the side of the Brighton-road. It has been designed on the model of some of the old churches of Surrey and Sussex, and like many of them, will depend for its effect more on its grouping and quiet colouring than on any richness of detail. [...] Its chief feature is the central tower, and it has been the architect's object to design this so as to be no construction internally.. [...]. The contract has been let to Mr Carruthers, of Reigate.' The foundation stone was laid on Thursday 8 June 1882 by Bishop Tufnell, Vicar of Croydon, as reported in The Surrey Mirror and General County Advertiser (10 June 1882): 'The eastern portion of the new church is to be completed first. This will cost about £6,000, of which £5,000 is already subscribed or promised, and will accommodate 400 persons. The church is to be cruciform in shape, and the principal feature about it is that when completed it will very much resemble the old Surrey churches. It is to be built of Bargate stone, from Godalming, with flint facings. In the centre will rise a tower, but, somewhat curiously, will be supported by four pillars, very small in diameter, so that they may not obstruct the view of any internal ornamentation of the church, built of very strong material. It was the base of one of these pillars which formed the foundation stone laid to-day. The foundation-stone bore no inscription, a simple cross, which was cut into the stone, being the only distinguishing mark that appeared upon it. No coins of the realm were placed inside the stone, the contents being confined to some newspapers, and a brief history of the movement for establishing the church. It may be added that the design of the church is exhibited this year in the Royal Academy, together with another design, both the sketches being by Mr. J. H. [sic] Scott, the architect. This gentleman is the son of Sir Gilbert Scott, the distinguished architect, who, by the way, lived at Rook's Nest, Godstone, and who was well known to many of our readers.'  At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Diocesan Church Building Endowment Society in 1884 it was announced that: 'an extra grant of £25 has been made towards the erection of a further part of the church of St Augustine's, Croydon, which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have promised to endow with £200 a year, the neighbourhood being a very poor and growing one.' (The Canterbury Journal and Farmers' Gazette, 10 May 1884). On completion the original church accommodated around 600 people. Adjacent to the church, the OS map of 1895 shows 'Field 102', where the last October Croydon Cattle Fair was held in 1894; Churchill Road was later built over the field.

The final cost of the new church was £7,500 and it was opened on Sunday 8 June 1884, the preacher that evening being the Rev. J. M. Braithwaite, vicar of Croydon (Norwood News and Crystal Palace Chronicle, Saturday 7 June 1884). The consecration of St Augustine's Church was undertaken by the Archbishop of Canterbury at 11am on Tuesday 25 November 1884, with the sermon preached by the Bishop of Minnesota, USA. The Offertories were 'devoted to the Building Fund'. It was followed by a luncheon at the Public Hall, which was fulsomely described in The Croydon Times and The Croydon Chronicle and East Surrey Advertiser. The Archbishop's speech was widely reported in newspapers around the country who quoted his reference to the Church Schools of the district and mention of Mr Anthony Mundella MP (Vice-President of the Board of Education, 1881-1885) who had recently said to him 'After all, it would not be fair if I did not say that the clergy are our best friends from one end of England to the other. In spite of the cry against them, the clergy are really the friends of education'.

In 1987, architect Paul Darrington was commissioned to re-order the church building, to create a smaller worshipping area accommodating around 150 people in order to provide much-needed community space. Completed in 1989 the community centre comprised three separate hall hire spaces of varying sizes, toilets, storage and a kitchen. In 2015 roof repairs to the south transept and south chapel, along with associated overhauling of rainwater goods and stone and flint repairs, were completed, grant-aided jointly by Historic England and Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2023 the church was on the HE Heritage at Risk Register (Priority F), which noted that further repairs were needed to the north aisle roof, rainwater goods and tower stonework. Works took place in 2023 to restore and repair all the original decorative cast iron low and high level rainwater goods; further substantive works are planned to the roofs and internals of the church and centre in the next couple of years, for which the church is seeking grant-aided support from a number of partners.

St Augustine’s grounds have never been used for burials although the rooms in the church basement were once used for the storage of bodies before a funeral. These spaces are now used for storage and hire following the building works in 1989.

St Augustine's Church stands in pleasant grounds, which include a much-used footpath between Churchill Road and St Augustine’s Avenue; in front of the church entrance is a large copper beech tree that has a Tree Preservation Order. The grounds are mainly grassed with mixed shrubs dotted around the borders. The church's community garden group has transformed the grounds in recent years, while maintaining the C19th path layout. Since 2018 the volunteers have removed significant overgrowth, created new garden areas and borders, seeking plants with links to the Bible and the Holy Land. Trees with biblical connotations that have already been planted include the olive, palm, cercis or Judas-tree, and apple, this last referencing Adam and Eve; a Euonymous alatus, or burning bush, is also planned. Other site improvements include security lighting along the main paths, which was installed in 2021 with a grant from the Home Office. In 2023 St Augustine's Garden was presented with an It's Your Neighbourhood Award, Outstanding: Level 5 by the Royal Horticultural Society and London in Bloom.
Among other buildings in south London designed by John Oldrid Scott are a First World War Memorial in Croydon's St John the Baptist Church (q.v.) and the Mortuary Chapel for Augustus Ralli (1872) in the Greek Orthodox area within West Norwood Cemetery (q.v.).