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Our history

The West London Mission (WLM) was established in 1887 as part of a new initiative within Methodism – the mission movement, which combined evangelism with radical social action. At that time the West End was rife with poverty, alongside great wealth and riches.

Katherine and Hugh Price Hughes, our founders, developed a wide range of ‘social rescue’ alongside their religious activities. Early work included a dispensary, a crèche for working mothers, a soup kitchen, a ‘poor man’s lawyer’ and a hospice. Katherine Price Hughes led a group of women known as the ‘Sisters of the People’ who worked tirelessly to tackle the poverty of the day.

Thousands of people affected by poverty were touched by WLM’s activities. These are the origins of the WLM Services, now Strides, which have been running for 137 years.

Mission Headquarters

Lincoln House

1888 – 1911

Wesley House

1911 – 1982

Hinde Street Methodist Church

1982 – 2019

A timeline of Strides’ services

Creche

Lincoln House

60 Greet St
1888-1895

Creche

Craven Hall

Fouberts Place
1895-1907

Rescue Home for Girls
in Need of Care

Winchester House

Walthamstow
1892-1898

Rescue Home for Girls
in Need of Care

Winchester House

20 Manor Plave
1898-1899

Home for
Dying

St Luke’s House

50 Osnaburgh St
1893-1901

Second Hand
Goods Depot

160 Wardour ST
1893-1895

Second Hand
Goods Depot

131 Wardour St
1895-1906

Second Hand
Goods Depot

5•24 Celeveland St
1894-1917

Holiday & Convalescent
Homes

Wesley House

Bisley
1890–1898

Principal Home of the Sisters

Katherine House

19 Montague St  
1887–1891

Principal Home of the Sisters

Katherine House

10 Fitzroy Sq
1891–1914

Creche

Lincoln House

60 Greek St
1907-1911

Creche

Wesley House

Kingsway
1911-1980

Rescue Home for Girls
in Need of Care & Supervision

Winchester House

5 Eastbourne Ter.
1899-1913

Rescue Home for Girls
in Need of Care

Winchester House

23 Ampthill Sq
1913-1918

Rescue Home for Girls
in Need of Care

Sister Mabel Hostel

1-5 Siddons Blgs,
Drury Lane
1921-1938

Rescue Home for Girls
in Need of Care

Katherine Price Hughes House

8 Doughty St
1937-1957

Home for Dying

St Luke’s House

13-14 Lawn Rd
1901-1902

Home for Dying

St Luke’s House

14 Pembridge Sq
1902-1923

Home for Dying

St Luke’s House

Hereford Rd
1923-

Second Hand Goods Depot

51A Cleveland St
1917-1939

Second Hand Goods Depot

37 Grafton Way
1939-1949

Holiday & Convalescent Homes

Hopedene Holiday Home

Barnet
1919-1938

Holiday & Convalescent Homes

Langham Hotel

Worthing
1956-1964

Men’s Social Dept

56 Cleveland St
1906-1914

Working Girls Hostel

Emerson Bainbridge Hostel

47 Cleveland St
1911-1941

Working Girls Hostel

Emerson Bainbridge House

Kingsway
1941

Working Girls Hostel

Gertrude Owen House

1-5 Siddons Blgs,
Drury Lane
1948-1951

Young People’s Hostel

Emerson Bainbridge House

Kinsway
1941-1945

Young People’s Hostel

Emerson Bainbridge House

47 Cleveland St
1947-1968

Young People’s Hostel

Fellowship House

25-6 Norland Sq
1947-1971

Maternity Hospital

Parkhurst

Parkhurst Rd
1922-1939

Young Ex-Offenders Hostel

Men’s Hostel

1-5 Siddons Blgs
Drury Lane
1938-1946

Single Homeless

The Hungerford

Arch 176
Hungerford Lane
1941-1946

Second Hand Goods Depot

12 Bowling Green Lane
1950-1962

Second Hand Goods Depot

84 Caledonian Rd
1963-1977

Young People’s Hostel

Fellowship House

25-6 Norland Sq
1947-1971

Unmarried Mother & Baby Homes

Kinsway House

28 Highbury Grove
1951-1958

Unmarried Mother & Baby Homes

Henry Carter House

Camden Sq
1953-1954

Unmarried Mother & Baby Homes

Hopedene

15 Aubert Park
1963-1985

Unmarried Expectant Mother Home

Grove House

1 Bolingbroke Grove
1960-1972

Young Ex-Offenders Hostel

Henry Carter House

Camden Sq
1952-1953

Young Ex-Offenders Hostel

Emerson Bainbridge House

335-7 Clapham Rd
1971-1984

Young Ex-Offenders Hostel

Grove House

Bolingbroke Grove
1972-1977

Men and Women on Probation and Bail

Katherine Price Hughes House

28 Highbury Grove
1958-

Single Homeless

The hungerford

25A Wincott St
1946-1960

Single Homeless

Day Centre

Kingsway
1973-1979

Single Homeless

Day Centre

136 Seymour Place
1979-2019

Alcoholics Recovery

St Luke’s House

25A Wincott St
1961-

Alcoholics Recovery

St Mary’s House

25A Wincott St
1963-

Alcoholics Recovery

Stirling Court

343 Clapham Rd
1967-

Alcoholics Recovery

Argyll House

Clapham Rd
1967-1977

Alcoholics Recovery

Grove House

1 Bolingbroke Grove
1977-

Alcoholics Recovery

Lambeth Mission

1 Lambeth Rd
1985-

Young People in Need

The Bridge

335-7 Clapham Rd
1986-

Homes for the Elderly

Alfred Hartley House

1-5 Siddons Blgs,
Drury Lane
1953-1981

Homes for the Elderly

Goodliffe House

28 Sydenham Hill
1958-1986

Nurses’ Hostel

Culmstock Rd
1974-1977

Recent history of WLM and Strides

We’re incredibly proud of our roots, and all that we have achieved for people across London over the last 136 years.

But we’re striving to do more.

Over the last 25 years, we have continued to work to meet the needs of the people and communities we work with, and as we launch this new phase of the website you can read about our current services in the What we offer pages.

In the meantime, we’re continuing to develop this recent history section, to ensure that it truly reflects the decisions we’ve made that have brought us to this point, from WLM to Strides.