WHEN THE medieval parish church of Bromley, in Rochester diocese, received a direct hit during the Blitz, the tower escaped without much damage, but the rest of the building was flattened.

The foundation for the new church was laid in 1949, but the building was not completed until 1957. It had a large chapel, intended as a children’s chapel, “but it was not painted with the mural designed for it, thank heaven,” says the Revd Michael Camp, the present Vicar.

It was intended to show Jesus surrounded by children, but another design, inspired by “the beauty of creation”, has now been painted by an illustrator, Alison Hodson, a former Sunday-school teacher who now works as a dental hygienist. She has been juggling her work while painting for four or five hours a day, two to three days a week, and also looking after her young family. She and Mr Camp have regularly discussed the design.

It has God as a central figure in front of the Tree of Life, as told in Revelation. The pillars depict different aspects of life on earth: the miracles; original sin, with a serpent offering the fruit of knowledge (right in photo); sacrifice; and redemption. Mrs Hodson’s work has been paid for from a legacy left by May Stevens, and the finished chapel has now been dedicated to her memory.

As a children’s chapel, it was originally used for the Sunday school, Mr Camp tells me, but there are now better facilities in the new church rooms. The chapel seats about two dozen people, and is used for midweek eucharists, small ecumenical services, and, occasionally, for children.