Kenneth Leech (1939- ) was, for a number of years (1967-1974), the curate at St Anne's, Soho. Whilst there he initiated, and was involved in, a number of key projects around working with young people. At that time, as now, the area attracted a large number of young people. Many lived in and around London, and were drawn to the various clubs and networks that could be found in the area. Perhaps the two most significant issues were drug usage and crime. However, there was also a growing number of young people drawn to London by the prospect of employment from Scotland and Northern England - and who were unable to find places to live. Kenneth Leech believed that a significant aspect of his ministry should be devoted to the needs of these young people.
57 Dean Street became the centre for a number of influential detached and project work initiatives in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s. Kenneth Leech lived in the flat above - along with a number of young youth workers. The following initiatives developed from, or were associated with, them:
Centrepoint-Soho began in December 1969 and was initially aimed at young ‘drifters’ newly arrived in London. It comprised emergency accommodation, food, advice and referral to other agencies. The basic idea emerged out of conversations between Ken Leech and Anton Wallich-Clifford (the founder of the Simon Community. Leech was a key mover in the project and it was developed particularly by Bill Kilpatrick and a band of volunteers. The charity took its name from Richard Seifert's office tower on Tottenham Court Road - Centre Point - which had remained empty for a number of years in order to exploit a legal loophole and in the process make a considerable amount of money for the developer. The first emergency accommodation was in the basement of St Anne’s House. The project took off - and other centres were opened
New Horizons (see below - Chalton Street) also began on the ground floor here as an open -door advice project.
The Rink was developed by the young workers who lived at St Annese (Rod Moore and Alistair Cox) along with a number of others (The contribution of these workers and those involved with the Soho project are discussed in the Detached youth work and project work bibliography). It was an experimental all-night club on Oxford Street (273) which provided music and food. They were also involved in The Crypt (St Martin in the Fields) - a day shelter offering basic sleeping facilities; and in street and detached work in and around the coffee bars, clubs and other meeting places in the area. The Rink was a Salvation Army youth project. It then merged with another local youth work initiative - the Soho Project (started in 1957) - which, in turn was to become part of the London Connection. One of the key workers in the Soho Project was Barbara Ward who was involved in a number of central detached work projects starting with Teen Canteen (at the Elephant and Castle), the Hoxton Project and the Arches Project (Brighton). Another worker was Phil Cohen who was later to write a number of influential pieces on youth culture and youth questions.
Kenneth Leech first came to London in 1958 to study history at King's College. He lived in Cable Street in East London, close to the old docks - which was a significant area of deprivation, London. He went on to train for ordination at St Stephen's House, Oxford. Leech has been a significant contributor to the literature of both work with young people and those with problems around drug usage, Christian Socialism, and to debates around the role of the church and Christians in contemporary society. His books include Youthquake (1973), The Social God (1981), and Soul Friend (1994). In 1974, after he left St Anne's to become Rector of St Matthew's Church, Bethnal Green, he helped to found the influential Jubilee Group 'a loose network of socialist Christians who stand mainly within the Catholic Tradition of Anglicanism' (see Leech 2001). It remained in operation for nearly 30 years. A significant part of his ministry was concerned with combating racism. From 1990 on, Kenneth Leech worked as a community theologian at St Botolph's, Aldgate, on the edge of the City (sponsored by the Christendom Trust) (Harmon 2004; Leech 2007). Kenneth Leech 'retired' in 2004 and moved out of London.
Gould, Mark (2004) 'Community Spirit', The Guardian June 16, 2004. Available: http://society.guardian.co.uk/homelessness/story/0,,1239403,00.html.
Harmon, Kendall (2004) 'An interview with Kenneth Leech', Church Times, April 23, 2004. Republished on Kendall Harmon's blog.
Leech, Kenneth (1973) Youthquake : the growth of a counter-culture through two decades, London SPCK/Sheldon Press
Leech, Kenneth (1973) A practical guide to the drugs scene, London: SPCK.
Leech, Kenneth (1973) Keep the faith, baby : a close-up of London's drop-outs, London: SPCK.
Leech, Kenneth (1981) The Social God, London: Sheldon Press.
Leech, Kenneth (1994) Soul Friend. Spiritual direction in the modern world, London: Darton, Longman and Todd.
Leech, Kenneth (1997) The Sky is Red, London: Darton, Longman and Todd.
Leech, Kenneth (2001) Through our Long Exile; contextual theology and the urban experience, London, Darton Longman and Todd.
Leech, Kenneth (2007) Doing Theology in Altab Ali Park 1990-2004. Lodnon: Darton, Longman and Todd.
Note: This page is part of our virtual walk around the history of informal education (in central London).
Walking for real: If you would like to do the informal education walk for real then why not join us on our next scheduled walk. It's free! Follow the link for joining details.
© Mark K. Smith 1997, 2006
First published August 7, 1997. Last update: October 01, 2008
