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The 19th century
Cologne in 1850 was certainly a different city from the one we know to day. Under the terms of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Prussia had acquired part of the Rhineland stretching from Cologne to Koblenz. Thus Cologne was now part of Prussia, on the throne of which sat King Frederick William IV. The wave of revolutionary fervour, which had swept Europe in 1848, would still have been very much in people's minds. The old city walls were still in place. The Cathedral had only one tower on the top of which was a wooden crane which had been there for some two hundred years. Even in its incomplete state the Cathedral towered over the surrounding buildings and narrow streets.
And it was in 1850 that Reverend F A Glover was described as being "Consular Chaplain to Cologne"; he was also responsible for Düsseldorf. We do not know how many British people were in Cologne at that time. There may perhaps have been a few families involved in consular work: Cologne and Frankfurt, rather than Berlin, were financial centers, so perhaps some British people were involved in banking and trade. Records tell us that for a period up to 186O a Mr Pepys was instrumental in bringing about regular Church of England services in Cologne, He was apparently Director of Gas Services in the city. It is not certain where the community worshiped throughout those early years; but in 1856 St George's Chapel in the Overstolzenhaus in Rheingasse was in use.
By 1867, the Cologne chaplain was no longer responsible for Düsseldorf and at about that time, the British Consulate was moved from Cologne to Düsseldorf. As a result, the small annual government support for the chaplain was discontinued: history repeats itself, as witness the move of the British Embassy from Bonn to Berlin in 1999. and the resultant loss of Embassy assistance to the chaplaincy!
In 1875 the attention of many in Cologne may have been focused on the Congress of Berlin, which dealt primarily with many of the problems which had arisen in the Balkans. History does indeed seem to have a habit of repeating itself!
A Year after Bismarck was presiding over the Congress, another German was tying to bring together the English residents in Cologne. A "Kölner". Henry Ferdinand Hartmann, arrived back in Cologne, having been ordained in USA. Using some of his own financial means, he gradually brought together the community and obtained the use of a building called Temple Lodge. It is not clear which this was, but in any case, the costs of maintaining it became too great and an alternative had to be found. The congregation's efforts were rewarded when Mr Friedrich, the prorietor of the Hotel du Nord offered premises to the congregation for their exclusive use in Bischofsgartenstraße 3. (near HohenzoIlernbrcke). The hall had originally been designed as a billiard room. Mr Friedrich renovated the hall and had stained glass windows installed. Dedication of the building took place in 1883. The chapel could accommodate 100 people and had its own private 'entrance. in 1885, an English company took over the Hotel du Nord, and the lease to the chaplaincy was continued.
The 20th century: the first 50 years
In 1886, the Reverend Robert Skinner succeeded Dr Hartmann. The congregation was growing which prompted a search for larger premises. This was however unsuccessful, since the necessary funds could not be raised, so the congregation continued to use the Bischofsgartenstraße premises until 1914. During the pre-war period, it was reported that in the summer months people were regularly turned away because there was not enough room for them in the chapel which it will be recalled seated 100 people!
From the end of the first World War until 1926, services were conducted by British militay chaplains in the Antoniterkirche in Schildergasse. In 1928 the chapel in Hotel du Nord reopened. But in September of that year lack of funds meant that alternative premises had to be found. This seems to have been a house in Bischofsgartenstrasse, presumably not far from the chapel attached to Hotel du Nord. ln 1929, there were about 300 British residents living in Cologne, most of who seem to have been in straitened circumstances. Regular attendance at the church was about 30 including about 14 members who bore the financial brunt of financing the Chaplaincy. in summer however, up to about 120 people wanted to attend church, which could only accommdate 60 peopIe. ln the same year the Reverend R W Puleston left. Major F E Collard who was licensed as a Lay Reader by the Bishop took his place. Major ColIard was ordained in 1936 and became Chaplain of St George's Cologne. it seems incidentally that the name St George's was used throughout the period 1850-1939.
In 1930 numbers grew when the American and British Anglican communities came together for worship; by 1932 there were 200 English and 30 American families in Cologne. in 1931 Mr Collard succeeded in obtaining the use of the Rathauskapelle. It had been built in 1427, and was part of the old City Hall complex. At this time Dr Konrad Adenauer was Lord Mayor of Cologne, and it was he who decided to make the Kapelle available to St George's for its services. The city authorities even paid for the necessay renovations. The first service in the new premises was held on Easter Day 1931. Mr Collard was also looking after the Düsseldorf congregation at this time. in 1936 it was reported that the Berlin Olympics drew many visitors to Cologne.
The last 50 years
Records tell us that Anglican services started again in 1947, using the chapel in the Toc H Club at Goltsteinstraße 197, in Bayenthal. On March 10th 1951, Lady Kirkpatrick, wife of the British Ambassador, laid the foundation stone of "the new British Church. All Saints Church" in Bonner Strasse. The church was consecrated by the Bishop of Fulham on December 15th 1951. Within four years however, the church became a German garrison church, and the All Saints congregation moved round the corner to a chapel at Lindenallee 41. The Bishop of FuIham consecrated the chapel for use by the Chaplaincy. There followed a period of "Wanderjahre". In 1964, the All Saints congregation moved back to its Church in Bonner Strasse which it shared with St Andrews Scottish Church and the German garrison; on 28th May of the same year, the chapel at Lindenallee 41 was declared closed by Bishop Gelsthorpe of Fulham.
In February 1969, the Anglican congregation left the Bonner Strasse Church and used the German Methodist Church at Burgunderstrasse 6 (near Barbarossaplatz). In May of the same year, it is interesting to note that the then Chaplain, the Reverend Peter Durnford wrote a memorandum in preparation for an executive Committee meeting of the ''Bad Godesberg and Cologne churches'': this led in fact to their amalgamation as one chaplaincy in 1971. In the memorandum, Mr 0unford outlined the case for an assistant to the Chaplain, He noted that "in Cologne the traditional Anglican Church is dwindling rapidly". He suggested that there was however good potential he mentioned inter alia that there were 200 English-speaking students at Cologne University. His idea was that with two priests there might be a chance of reviving the Cologne church. Nearly 30 years later there were indeed two priests when the Reverend Dr Stephen Miles came to Cologne in 1997 as Assistant Chaplain to the Reverend Patrick Curran. When Mr Curran left Cologne in May 2000 to go to Vienna as chaplain to the Anglican community there, Dr Miles succeeded him.
In 1970 All Saints was on the move again. The parish moved to share the chapel of the British Army Roman Catholic Retreat Center at Trinity House, Lindenallee 43, until it was closed on 25th September 1977. For the next month, services were again held in the Bonner Strasse church. In November 1977 the Assistant Bishop of Fulham and Gibraltar dedicated a room in the Army Post Office/NAAFl complex in the Volkspark for use as a chapel. There the congregation stayed until the first Sunday of October 1988 when it moved back to All Saints in Bonner Strasse, where it has been ever since. It is interesting to note that in terms of geography, the seat of the Cologne congregation remained for many years the centre of Cologne and only after the Second World War did it move to the southern part of the city. For most of the 19th century, it would have been difficult to travel far from the city center; horse drawn trams were only introduced in 1877 and electric trams in 1901.
The Anglican Church in Cologne is proud to celebrate its 150th Anniversary and that it is still serving the large English-speaking community, despite many changes of location and two world wars.
Take from "150 Years of Anglican Ministry in Cologne 1850-200" written by Anthony Cooper.
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Addresses |
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St. Boniface, Bonn
Haus Steinbach chapel in Mehlem,
Rüdigerstrasse map..
St. Cyprian, Bonn
Adenauerallee 61, Bonn. map..
All Saints, Cologne
the corner of Bonnerstr./Lindenallee,
Cologne-Marienburg map.. |
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