There it was on the corner as it had been for 120 years. Forbidding and off-putting to many, yet to neighbours it was an old and familiar friend. Was it open or not?
A sign high on the building read Providence Baptist Chapel. It was opposite Highbury Fields, the largest open space in Islington, one of the smallest of the London boroughs, and yet one of the most populous in the capital, situated in one of the most desirable streets in Islington.
The area was also one of the most conservationally sensitive in London. Property was extremely expensive and sought after, as in the mid-1990s Islington developed into a very select area indeed. For the rich professionals and media elite, this was the place to be. The church, which occupied the old chapel, called Geoff Gobbett to be pastor in 1998. The church had seen better days and wanted a fresh start with an evangelistic thrust. It seemed a daunting and intimidating challenge and it was! But what about this old, drab building that seemed to militate against any work done?
