A specialist team from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) worked to dismantle the anti-aircraft guns from the Tin Tabernacle in Cambridge Avenue on Thursday (March 5).
The 40mm Bofors gun and 20mm Oerlikon cannon were loaded onto a truck to be taken to the training base HMS Excellent in Portsmouth where they will be preserved as part of the navy’s heritage.
They had been installed in the Grade II listed corrugated iron church in the 1960s when it was converted into a ‘training ship’ by the Willesden and Marylebone Sea Cadets.
But after 78 years, the Sea Cadets are giving up the lease on the Victorian church, which boasts an interior full of nautical artefacts and equipment.
And freeholder Notting Hill Genesis housing association, together with consultants London Historic Buildings Trust, decided it would be easier to open the church to the public and carry out the necessary restoration and repair if the guns were returned to the MOD.
Both guns were used by the Allies for defence on sea and land against fast moving or low-flying aircraft.
Mary East, who lives in Swiss Cottage, has been involved with the committee which runs the Tin Tabernacle for 17 years.
She said: “I have been in tears about losing the guns. I feel I have failed miserably in protecting the heritage of Kilburn.
“It’s been very painful – a lot of people in Kilburn will remember the guns from their visits to the church – it feels like having a tooth removed.
“But we have to go with what has been decided and I suppose having big guns in inner London is not the best thing.”
The Tin Tabernacle was built in 1863 as a temporary church for Kilburn’s growing population but is now one of London’s last iron churches and on English Heritage’s ‘at risk’ register.
Over the years the building has been used by various congregations as well as for weddings, funerals, community events and exhibitions.
Mary added: “It was only meant to last for two years and it’s still standing.
“I have been involved with the church for a long while and we have a strong community of volunteers who open it every two weeks.
“Now the Sea Cadets are leaving the building we are hoping to look for funding and apply for grants – this is a fantastic amazing living museum that could be a great asset for Kilburn.”
