The church, originally founded in 1869 for the
Scottish Presbyterian community, was dedicated to
St Andrew the Apostle, patron of
Scotland. It was constructed in the then fashionable
Neo Gothic style as laid out by architect
Edmund Woodthorpe (1814-1887). It was consecrated in 1870. With the passage of time, the congregation declined and in circa 1960 it was decided to amalgamate it with a more active presbyterian parish elsewhere. The church authorities therefore sought to dispose of their asset to another Christian faith community. In 1961 the church was bought by the
Polish Catholic Mission to the
United Kingdom, with a mortgage, paid off in time with the help of donations and legacies from the faithful. The church was re-dedicated in 1962, this time to another
St Andrew in the
Archdiocese of Westminster. Historically, it became only the second Catholic church to serve the capital's Polish community. The first Polish church in London was opened in Devonia Road,
Islington, dedicated to
Our Lady of Częstochowa and
St Casimir. It became the first Polish-owned ecclesiastical building in the British Isles. It was consecrated on 30 October 1930 by cardinal
August Hlond, primate of Poland in the presence of
Cardinal Bourne of Westminster. The Bobola congregation in West London was initially made up largely of people who had survived the trials of
Siberia during and after
World War II. It also served unofficially, as a
Garrison Church for the thousands of Polish veterans, who had fought with the allies and were deprived of the right to return to their Polish homeland, surrendered to the USSR under the
Yalta Agreement. From 1961 to 1979
Monsignor Kazimierz Sołowiej (1912–1979) was the parish priest. He took charge of the refurbishment of the building. Despite an "uneventful" exterior, the interior of the church was, according to
Bridget Cherry, "daringly modernised" by émigré Polish craftsmen and artists under the direction of designer Aleksander Klecki. It contains many items inspired by Polish art and religious devotions. To the right of the entrance (when facing the church from the exterior) is the
Lady chapel dedicated to Our Lady of
Kozielsk, whose original image in Poland was
crowned by
Pope John Paul II in 1997. The pipe organ is situated on the liturgical west gallery and was built in 1901 by Henry Jones and Sons of London. The instrument maintains the original tubular pneumatic action and comprises 18 stops over two manuals and pedals. The organ is featured in a video recording of Bach Prelude and Fugue in D Minor BMV554 performed by leading British organist Jonathan Scott (Scott Brothers Duo). The recording from 6th June 2025 is available on YouTube. The church is considered a building of architectural heritage. It is listed with the
Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group. In 2008 the parish priest was presented with a prestigious conservation award for the Church from the Hammersmith Society.
Smolensk Air disaster The parish and the entire Polish community in West London were shocked and saddened to learn that the fourth parish priest of St Andrew's, Mgr.
Bronisław Gostomski had died in the
Smolensk air disaster on 10 April 2010. He had been aboard the Polish Airforce Russian-built
Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft carrying the delegation of notable Poles intending to visit the
Katyn site on the 70th anniversary of the Massacre, when the plane crashed near the Russian city of
Smolensk. There were no survivors and the cause of the disaster remains unexplained. == Commemorations ==