Episode Transcript
In this episode we will listen to chapter 2 of the audiobook for Let the House of God Be Built. If you are interested in listening to the full audiobook, you can find the links to purchase it in the show notes.
This chapter continues the story of a group of young believers seeking the Lord to find a place to meet for the breaking of bread, prayer and other church meetings. The Lord leads these brothers and sisters to meet in bars, cinemas, and nightclubs before miraculously providing a House on Halford Rd. Let’s listen to chapter 2 of Let the House of God Be Built.
Chapter 2: A House on Richmond Hill
The Community Centre
After a few months of meeting in the Townshends home, we felt
that we really had to meet somewhere else. We were wearing
out the home of those dear believers. Therefore, we began
seriously to seek the Lord as to where this place should be. In
one of the Scriptures which the Lord had given us, He had said:
...“thou shalt remove from thy place to another in their sight.”
(see Ezekiel 12:1—3).
It was at this point that we heard of the Community Centre which was next door to the synagogue in the heart of the town of Richmond. It was certainly within sight of the
church to which I had belonged. I went to inquire of it and they
said they had a room on the top floor that they could rent us for
a reasonable price. It was the Royal Richmond and Twickenham
Photographic Society’s room.
The walls were covered with the most beautiful photographs, some of which we had to turn toward
the wall before we could decently meet in that room. In fact, it was one of our steward’s jobs to go through the pictures before anyone arrived and turn certain ones toward the wall and later turn them
back when all of us had left! However, to reach this room one had
to first go down into the basement, pass through all the stage
props, go through a very ill-lit cellar, and then up some rickety
steps to the top floor. Sometimes the person who was supposed to
open up on a Sunday did not arrive until about five minutes past
eleven, or even later, and we were supposed to be meeting at 11am.
These drawbacks disturbed us, but we accepted it because of what the Lord had said.
Elders and Deacons
During our time at the Community Centre the Lord blessed
the fellowship. We grew in numbers and several got saved.
We met there every Sunday morning and evening and had prayer
meetings and Bible studies in private homes. It was there also that
we made a big mistake. We appointed elders and deacons because
we saw it as a Biblical pattern. The pattern was not wrong; it was
the way we appointed them which was incorrect. We discovered
later that the apostle Paul never appointed elders or deacons on
his first trip, but on his second, which was often 18 months to two
years later. In other words, he waited to see how the believers were
developing, and he watched for the growth of spiritual character.
The body of Christ is spiritually organic. A believer who is to be
an elder or a deacon grows in such a way that it will be clear to
all the members of the body that the believer concerned has the
right character and spiritual gift. We learnt one of the greatest
lessons about the Church through this mistake. We learnt that the
Church is in the resurrection life of Christ and the Holy Spirit is
the one who makes the will of the Head known to the members.
The Taking of the Astor Club
Although we had been blessed greatly by our time in the
Community Centre, we realised that there were many drawbacks,
and thus we began to look for another venue. On one occasion I was looking at different places in the centre of Richmond when I saw a little notice: “Apply to Burton’s for the place above.” Just before
that I had met old Mrs. Caiger, John and Arthur Caiger’s mother.
She was a most godly woman and a strong prayer intercessor.
She said, “What are you doing?”
I said, “I am looking for a place for us to hold our meetings.”
“My dear” she said, “That is a big work.”
I said, “Well I am just about to give up.”
“Do not give up!” she said, “I am shopping, but I will pray.”
I said, “Whilst you are shopping?”
“Oh, no problem at all! I will pray whilst I am shopping. Do not
give up!”
The place that was advertised on that little note was a nightclub,
the Astor Club, for which we had prayed in those four months
in 1951. It had been closed down by the police for immorality.
This place was in the old arcade that had been bombed during the
Blitz of London in the Second World War, and was left more or
less in ruins.
Anyway I went to Burton’s, the tailors and a big man
came out and asked me: “What do you want?”
I said, “I have come about the advertisement.”
He said, “What are you?”
I said, “We are a group of Christian young people.”
“What do you want it for?”
“For meetings,” I said.
“That is a very strange thing,” he said.
“I understood it was not on the market,” I said.
He said, “An hour ago I received the go ahead to rent it!
I will give you the first option for one pound a week for the whole
lot. But you must be prepared to be tipped out at a week’s notice.”
Now the Richmond council had an argument with Burton’s,
the tailors, so although they owned the property the council was
blocking their development of it. We understood from one of
our brothers who was working for the council that there was no
chance of Burton’s being given the go ahead for probably fourteen
years at least. So we took it. It was on the High Street of Richmond,
opposite the post office. (Eventually it was developed when Marks
and Spencer’s purchased it from Burton’s, and they were in great
favour with the council).
When we took it we had to clean up the whole place. We had
to shut our eyes while scrubbing the graffiti off the walls. It was
not a very nice place. We had a service in which we spiritually
sanctified the whole area, and in particular the premises which
the Astor club had occupied. Of course, some of the local
Christians became very upset about us. “Oh,” they said, “first they
go to cinemas, then they take steamers, now they are meeting
in a nightclub. What next! Where else will that boy lead them?”
We had a new carpet for the main room, and huge interlined
curtains for the very large windows to shut out the noise of traffic.
The material for those curtains came from an Auschwitz survivor
in the town, and the lady who made the curtains was another
survivor who gave the making of the curtains as a gift. This place
was absolutely central, we were able to go out and “fish” people
in from High Street and other nearby streets, and a number got
saved. We were now able to have both the prayer meeting and the
Bible study in this new place.
Was the Lord Moving Us?
We were only there for a year when suddenly one day in the winter
the water poured in through the roof. Now what was the point of
us mending the roof, indeed doing any of the necessary repairs,
when we could be tipped out with a week’s notice? Unofficially,
we could be there for fourteen years, but we wondered.
Then suddenly I came in one day and found a very officious man
walking about. Later he became a good friend, but at the time he
was extremely overbearing. He was going around tapping walls
and ceilings. I thought he was nuts. “Excuse me,” I said, “what are
you doing?”
“Excuse me,” he said, “have you got permission to meet in this
place?”
I said, “What has that got to do with you?”
He replied, “I happen to be the chief building inspector for this
area. And I understand you are meeting here as a church; have
you got permission? For one thing that whole fire escape has got
to be fire proofed; we can close you down you know!”
I said, “I did not know anything about this.”
He said, “Then we had better get moving.” After that he became
reasonably pleasant and said we had to do this and that and
the other.
When we got a man to look at the roof, he said it would cost at
least £200. When we asked about fireproofing the staircase from
asbestos, he said that would be about £250; in all £450. As always
we prayed about it. We could spend £450 on the place and be
tipped out within a week. Was the Lord moving us on?
The Pillar of Cloud and Fire on the Move
It was then that someone in the prayer meeting said, “The Pillar
of Cloud and Fire is moving; we must follow.” And someone else
took it up in prayer, and still another. I was really upset. I thought,
“We have only just got here; we have just bought a fitted carpet
and put up the interlined curtains; surely the Lord is not moving
us on. Would the carpet fit another place, and the huge curtains?”
Then someone else suddenly read a Scripture. It turned out that
she had never read this Scripture before, but she gave it:
And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain
of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations
shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say, Come
ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house
of the God of Jacob; and he shall teach us of His ways, and we
will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2—3).
To my amazement one other person had the same passage and
read it, and then to add to my horror someone else read from
Micah 4:1—2, which is the exact same Scripture as the Isaiah
verses. I thought that our prayer meeting was crazy. There was
no mountain in Richmond, only Richmond Hill. How could these
two Scriptures have anything to do with our local situation about
finding a house in which to meet? Was it even possible to apply
these Scriptures to our local situation? After all, it was originally
given concerning the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Nevertheless,
everyone in the prayer meeting seemed to feel that the Lord was
speaking to us about a house somewhere on Richmond Hill.
Lord Hore-Belisha’s Home
We took the whole matter to the Lord and sought Him until
we became unanimous. The Lord was indicating a house on
Richmond Hill! Thus we began a search for this “House on the
hill.” We discovered from estate agents a number of houses and
went to investigate. One of those houses had belonged to Lord
Hore-Belisha. It was a magnificent house with a great garden,
a ballroom with white panelling, gilt decoration and parquet
flooring. It seemed the perfect place to meet. There was another
large room lined—ceiling, walls, and floor with cobalt blue Italian
mosaic and a sunken roman bath which seemed to be a perfect
baptistery. It appeared to clinch the matter for us. In 1953—54,
this was going for £7500. We prayed about it, but not a penny
came in.
Ancaster House
We also looked at Ancaster House, a beautiful large house on
the top of Richmond Hill, with its own garden and a gate into
Richmond Park. It had the most beautiful Cumberland green
slate roof. Once again we prayed about it. It was valued at between
£7000 and £8000, but nothing came. We looked at other houses
also, but it seemed remarkable to us that not a single pound was
given towards any of them.
Halford House
On a certain Tuesday morning I woke up with a sense that I had
to do something about a house in which we could meet. I had
spoken about a certain house on Richmond Green which could
hardly be called on Richmond Hill. It was for sale, but we had not
looked at it. Then I did something which was not natural to me.
I decided to go through all the estate agents in East Twickenham
and Richmond, one by one. Everywhere I went I got the same
reply that there was nothing available.
Finally I came to Chancellors which was near Richmond
Railway station. As I went in a young man stood up and said,
“Yes sir, can I do anything for you?” I explained what we needed
and said I had noticed in their window the house on Richmond
Green advertised, the house which I had wondered about. He told
me that they had finally sold the house only that morning and
greatly below the asking price. I had explained to him that we
were young people and were looking for a house to purchase in
which to meet. He said that at present there was nothing available.
“Nevertheless,” he said, “let me take down the details.” He asked
for my address. As soon as he learnt the address his attitude
changed. The family home was in the most highly rated area of
East Twickenham.
It was at that point that an old gentleman, who was sitting in
the rear of the office, stood up and said how sorry he was that we
had not come in earlier. I was only in my early twenties, and I
reckoned the older gentleman with his white flowing hair was at
least eighty, as I am now! “We do not have anything suitable for
you at present,” he said, “but I have no doubt that we shall find
something.” I got up to go and had my back to the old gentleman
when he said, “Just wait, sir, something comes to my mind!”
But then it was as if he was talking to himself. As I wheeled round
to face him, he was holding his hand to his head, and saying,
“Oh, he would not be interested in that place, especially if he was
prepared to pay the price of the house on the Green!”
I broke into his conversation with himself, saying, “Where is
this house?”
“Oh sir,” he said, “be advised, I do not know why I thought of it.
It has been on our Dead Book for thirteen years. No sir, it is not
for you. It has wood boring beetles, dry rot and no damp course.
It is virtually derelict. Sir, it would be a wild goose chase if you
went up there. Wait for us and we will find you the right place.”
Then I said, “I am not so sure about that! I am rather interested.
Where is this house?”
“It is on Halford Road,” he said.
I told him that I had known Halford Road since I was a child
(it was where Aunty Ella lived).
He said that it was a School of Art and Science.
I said, “I cannot recall any such place on Halford Road.”
He said, “Sir, it has been there since 1710!”
“Well,” I said, “I am very interested.”
“Oh sir,” he replied, “do be advised. You are just wasting your
time. It will only be a load of trouble.”
“No,” I exclaimed. “I would like to see it.”
“Alright,” he replied. “If that is what you want, all right!
I will send someone up with the key.” Then we arranged for the
time to be at 2 pm that same day.
The Condition of Halford House
Thus at 2 pm Ken Douglas, Ernest Townshend and myself waited
outside the door. It was not one of the young men that came
and certainly not the old man, but a young lad with a huge key.
He inserted the key in the front door and had to more or less
swing on it to open it. The door creaked open and the first thing
that hit us was the smell. There were holes in the floor; we had to
be careful where we walked. Fungus was growing on the walls.
Plaster had fallen away onto the ground. There was no electricity,
only gas brackets. When we went upstairs to what is now the
library, the handle of the door came away in our hands. Then when
we got hold of the door, a whole part of the door came away and
crumbled into powder.
I went through the whole place thinking, “Oh no, Lord.” A Scripture came to me: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”
(James 1:17a). I thought, this is not good or perfect, and therefore
can it be a gift from God?! All I could think about was the amount
of work we would have to do. The other brothers, however, were
amazed. Here is this place in the centre of Richmond, with much
space. It would be possible to seat 100 people in the ground floor
room and if the upstairs was renovated, at least 300.
The Purchase of Halford House
It is noteworthy that as a fellowship nearly every major move we
had to make in our history always originated on the day we had
our main prayer meeting. It was a Tuesday and that evening was
our main prayer time. So we three brothers decided to present
to the whole fellowship what had happened during the day.
We would not tell them how we felt in order not to influence them,
but to let the Lord lead all of us clearly as a body. The trustees of
Halford House wanted £3000 for it. We all sought the Lord and
became of one mind that this was the place. It was on Richmond
Hill, but on the lower part of it. We came to a unanimous decision
to offer £200. One must remember that except for one family,
we were all in our teens and twenties, and most of us students.
To us therefore, £200 was an enormous sum of money. It was
thus in faith that we sent the letter offering £200.
We received a reply almost immediately. Could we reconsider because
they felt our offer was too little? We did more than reconsider;
we sought the Lord, decided to double the sum, and added the
£50 we had in hand which came to £450. We received the trustee’s
response within a week. They said they believed we were going to
do a good work amongst young people, and that although the sum
was small they would accept the offer providing we paid in cash
within seven days.
Now we were overjoyed, but we realised we had only seven
days in which to pay. We had taken a position financially that
was absolute. We never asked for money, we never advertised our
needs, and those of us who worked for the fellowship never asked
for wages, but trusted the Lord. Within the week the £400 came, including a gift from New York of £23 from a sister who had heard about a work in Richmond, but did not know about our need.
What is amazing is the fact that if we had paid £450 for
renewing the old nightclub premises, which we were in, we would
have lost everything. Literally, two months later, when we were
just about to come into Halford House, every person in the whole
of the old arcade, all the shopkeepers there, were suddenly given
one week’s notice to get out. Overnight Burton’s sold the property
to Mark’s and Spencer’s who were in favour with the council and
they gave them the go ahead for re-development. We would have
spent £450 on a new roof and fireproofing, and the whole thing
would have been pulled down. Some of the shopkeepers were
angry with us.
I remember one of them whom I had known from
childhood, saying, “Fancy you Christians treating your friends
like that!” He was Jewish. “You Christians can never be trusted,”
he said, “you knew.” I said, “we did not know!”
He said, “Come off it! Of course you knew! You have been
searching for a house these last months. They gave you the tip off
because you are a Christian organisation.”
I said, “No, they did not. We prayed about it and God gave us the
tip off.” Later he gave me a beautiful oil painting of the Austrian
Alps, which I treasure. He was the only one who had managed to
negotiate a sixteen year lease, the rest of us were given a one week notice. To move out he got a handsome sum of money for each of
those years.
Thus we would have spent £450 and been tipped out and
the whole lot pulled down for re-development. Instead, the Lord
provided £450 for the purchase of Halford House. The Pillar of
Cloud and Fire had certainly moved, and by the grace of God we
moved with Him. We hardly knew what we had purchased. In the
residential part of the house lived an old music professor and his
wife. They had an old dog that was white with age and used to
howl every time we sang a hymn. They also had a cat, so old that it
had a relaxed back and its stomach dragged on the ground, and an
old hen that was the last of fourteen hens they had owned during
the war years. These three slept together in the same basket.
The Hullah’s paid £1.50 per week for renting the residential part of
the house and the garden. We had also inherited what we thought
was an artist, an aged lady in her late eighties, who lived across
the garden in a one room building with her cats. All of this we
were to discover little by little.
The Remarkable Story of Margaret Trickey
It was one thing to have bought Halford House in a miracle
worked by God; it was another matter to consider how the house
would be cared for and managed. Margaret Trickey was a gift
of God to the fellowship at Halford House. When we bought the
property we wondered how we were going to care for it. Margaret
offered herself, saying that she believed the Lord had spoken to
her clearly. She had joined the fellowship whilst we were meeting
in the Astor Club.
When Margaret was in her early twenties, she contracted
Poliomyelitis. Her condition was so bad that she could not move
a single part of her body except her eyeballs. At one point the
doctors thought that she would be in an Iron Lung. Amazingly,
the Lord healed her! However the doctors who cared for her
said that she would only be able to work in certain spheres,
such as a children’s nurse. She would never be able to shoulder a
strenuous job.
Margaret was born in Kaifeng, Honan, China to missionary
parents. Her mother died two weeks after giving birth to her.
She was one of seven children. She came to the Lord early and
devoted her life to Him. She was greatly influenced by Brother T.
Austin-Sparks.
It was only natural that we brothers wondered whether
Margaret would be able to cope with the heavy duties of caring
for and managing Halford House. As we sought the Lord about
this, we became convinced that it was a genuine call of God she
had heard. We prayed for an especial anointing of grace and
power for her.
The years that followed proved that Margaret was called of
God. Not only did she look after the house but she cooked for all
who were there daily. We had students from many nations living
with us and seeking to learn from the Lord at Halford House.
There could be anywhere between 10 and 20 people for lunch each
day. Margaret cooked beautiful meals on a very small budget.
Everyone used to wonder how she could do it. Except for periodic
migraines, which would lay her out for a day, she shouldered all
the onerous duties.
Spiritually, she knew the Lord in a deep and powerful way and
was a very real and alive contribution to the life of the fellowship.
Her miraculous story is interwoven with the history of the
fellowship of believers at Halford House. She was an eye witness
of most of the miracles which God worked for us.
May you know the provision of the Lord. May you know the deep deep love of Jesus.
