A Short History

London City Mission has ministered to homeless people since it was founded in 1835 through visits to hostels (or so-called ‘doss-houses’) and in other ways. During the 1970s and 1980s work was done with homeless people in various locations, including our premises in Covent Garden, which is now Café Eterno in Neal Street, a London City Mission project. During the 1980s, London City Mission missionaries increasingly augmented the work of a similar organisation, the London Embankment Mission, by helping their staff team in their homeless work at a building in Webber Street. The London Embankment Mission was founded by Mr Ernest W. Walton-Lewsey in 1936. The LEM’s first building was “underneath the arches” in an alley which ran beneath Charing Cross Station, on the north side of the River Thames. In 1947 the LEM were served notice on their premises and so they moved to St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden and then onto to a building off Vauxhall Bridge Road. In 1950 the LEM realized a long-held dream to acquire a vehicle which was dedicated as a ‘mobile church’. The first service was held in this, the country’s first mobile church-on-wheels, a 23-feet-long, cream-painted vehicle, at 7pm on Wednesday 15th March 1950 at the Embankment entrance to King’s College. By the time of the LEM’s Silver Jubilee, they began to have a vision for a building again. And so, on Saturday 20th May 1962, an opening service was held in new premises in Webber Street, chaired by Sir Frank Medlicott.  Further background about the London Embankment Mission. View B&W film shot to generate funds and prayerful support for the London Embankment Mission. The film was first shown in Filey in September 1966. In 1990 London City Mission took the London Embankment Mission under its wing. The decision was taken to refurbish the old building’s interior in 1993 at a cost of £631,000 and a further refurbishment was carried out at the end of 2006, when the main toilet area was rebuilt and four new shower units (three for men and one for women/ disabled) replaced two old ones. From 1993 to 2005 Webber Street was known as “Waterloo Christian Centre”. The ministry was initially led by an LCM missionary, Ricky Fawcett, followed by Derek Maddox. Will Thorburn, an LCM missionary, was the Manager until 2005. In 2006 Adam Gage took over leading the team and the centre was renamed “Webber Street”, since this was the name which was used by the Guests. In 2008, David Clover, an experienced LCM missionary, was appointed as the Team Leader.