St Lukes Church, Love lane
The first post-Reformation Catholic parish in the Pinner area, St Luke's, was formed in 1914, when the newly appointed parish priest, Fr John Caulfield, moved into Dudley House, Wellington Road, Hatch End, where the first mass of the new parish was celebrated on 1st February, 1914. The first part of a new church, in Love Lane, Pinner was formally opened in October 1915 by Cardinal Bourne, Archbishop of Westminster. There were plans to extend this church later, as attendances grew. It was noted when the foundation stone was laid (Tablet, 17 April 1915) that clergy from neighbouring non-catholic churches and members of their congregations were present. Thus, Pinner showed early signs of ecumenical attitudes, which are still evident today in the work of the Pinner Association of Churches, formed in 1967.
St Luke's parish received national newspaper attention between 1925 and 1939 through the Donkey Derbys held to raise funds for the new parish, when the country's leading jockeys, led by Steve Donoghue, would come to Pinner in July after racing at Alexandra Park. The Coronation Donkey Derby in 1937 resulted in a dead heat between Donoghue and Gordon Richards, who won the run-off. In the mid 1950's plans were drawn up for a large new church, which was opened in 1958. The design, by Mr F X Velarde, was strikingly modern with a high quality approach to furnishing and artistic embellishment, a tradition which has been maintained. The church is listed in an appendix to Robert Harbison's Shell Guide to English Parish Churches (Andre Deutsch, 1992). In 1988, work was completed on the conversion of the original 1915 church building into a modern two story parish centre.