Seventy firefighters battled a major blaze at King’s Hall Methodist Church in Southall for three hours on Sunday evening after more than 20 emergency calls alerted the London Fire Brigade to flames consuming the historic West London building.
Ten fire engines raced to South Road from stations in Southall, Ealing, Heston and surrounding areas following the first reports at approximately 9.30pm. The brigade deployed two 32-metre turntable ladders, allowing crews to direct water onto the burning structure from elevated positions as the inferno tore through the 108-year-old place of worship.
At the fire’s peak, flames had consumed the majority of the ground floor, second floor and roof of the three-storey building. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control by 12.30am, roughly three hours after the first emergency calls were received.
South Road was shut in both directions between Park Road and High Street as emergency services worked to tackle the fire. Nearby residents were advised to close their windows and doors as smoke billowed across the neighbourhood, with people urged to stay away from the area while crews battled the flames.
The London Fire Brigade posted on X at 11.23pm that its crews were “working hard” to tackle the fire. By 12.44am, the service confirmed: “The fire on South Road in Southall is now under control. Crews will remain on scene into the early morning to fully extinguish the fire. South Road remains closed in both directions – please continue to avoid the area. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
Local councillor John Martin of Norwood Green Ward addressed the situation, stating: “The fire on South Road Southall, is under control. London Fire crews will remain on the scene to fully extinguish the fire and investigate the cause. South Road remains closed in both directions; therefore, some bus routes will be on diversion or terminated early – please continue to avoid the area.”
The King’s Hall was constructed in 1916 to designs by Sir Alfred Gelder of Hull, featuring a large red brick and stone façade. Originally operated by the Uxbridge and Southall Wesleyan Mission, it initially screened religious films before evolving into a full-time cinema by 1926 whilst remaining under Methodist management.
The King’s Hall Cinema closed in 1937, with the premises subsequently returning to religious use as the King’s Hall Methodist Church, serving the Southall community for nearly nine decades in its religious capacity.
Crews were expected to remain on site throughout Monday morning to ensure the fire was completely extinguished. Road closures were set to continue while emergency services worked at the scene, causing ongoing disruption to bus routes serving the area.
The cause of the fire is not known and is currently being investigated. Once the site is deemed safe, fire investigators will begin examining the partially destroyed building to determine how the blaze started in the historic structure located in Southall, Middlesex.
