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The history of the former Greaves church
At the start
of the twentieth century, Wesleyan Methodism in Lancaster was strong; the
population of the town was expanding to the south and also north of the river.
The members of Wesley Methodist Church at Sulyard Street (the “mother” church of
Lancaster Methodism) decided that it was time to establish new societies in
these areas.
A site for a
new church on The Greaves, opposite Brunton House, was purchased in 1903 at a
cost of £1000. The next year a site for a replacement church at Skerton was
bought for £700. These were paid for by subscriptions and grand bazaars held in
1905 (see the linked report from the Lancaster
Guardian) and 1906 which raised
£1450 and £632 respectively. In 1906 the Circuit Quarterly Meeting approved a
scheme to build the two churches, with their associated Sunday Schools, at a
total cost of £13,000. The plans for The Greaves were drawn up by Stanley
Wright, then Mayor of Morecambe. A scanned copy
of the plan is on a linked page.
A special
service was held on Sunday 3rd March 1907 to start the building
project. The Superintendent Minister Rev ST Bosward preached. The next
afternoon Rev SF Collier, Superintendent of the Manchester Mission preached.
This was followed by tea, a musical interlude by Mr A Douthwaite, the organist
and choir master before a public meeting was held
(see the linked page for an account of the
meeting). Alderman Norval Helme, MP,
presided and announced that he and his brother Robert would contribute £4000 to
cover the cost of the new chapel at Skerton, leaving others to concentrate their
fundraising on The Greaves. Further assistance was offered by the Connexion,
in recognition that Lancaster Wesleyans had raised four thousand guineas for the
Twentieth Century Thanksgiving Fund (to provide grants for new churches); it
was expected that the Fund would contribute £2000 to the new church.
The
foundation stone was laid on Wednesday afternoon, 14th October 1908.
Rev WJ Chant, the new Superintendent led a short service which was held in the
road, and the Mayor of Lancaster, Councillor Wilson laid the foundation stone.
[photo of trowel] Other stones were laid by Mrs TD Smith (widow of the grocer
who had been a committed Wesleyan) and others. Underneath the stone a bottle
was laid containing a circuit plan, circuit magazine, copy of the appeal
statement, circular announcing the ceremony, the local newspapers, a list of
trustees, a photo of the builder and his workmen and some coins. This event was
followed by tea at Sulyard Street – over 500 attended. They then enjoyed a
meeting with speeches, choral items and the promise of a font
from Mrs Wright, wife of the Architect.
(see the linked page for an account of the laying of the memorial stones).
Sunday School
children had their part to play in the fundraising and ceremonies. All in the
circuit had been raising money; those who contributed at least 10 shillings
(50p) were entitled to lay a brick in the Sunday School building at Easter,
1909. After laying the bricks, the children received medals, and then went to Sulyard Street for tea.
(see the linked page for an account of the
laying of bricks by the Sunday School children).
The
opening
ceremony was held on Wednesday 13th October 1909; because of a very
heavy shower, it was held indoors. The door was opened by Mrs Pratt of
Silverdale, and the dedication service was led by the President of the Wesleyan
Methodist Conference, Rev W Perkins. The singing was led by the Sulyard Street
choir, conducted by Mr A Douthwaite, with Miss EO Brash at the harmonium.
Naturally, the event was followed by tea in the schoolroom for 500. The Sunday School was opened a week
later. (see the linked page for a contemporary
description of the Church).
Plan of
church.
The church
received a new minister, Rev Edwin Bell, who lived in the manse at 3 Sea View,
almost opposite. In January 1910, there were 45 members (Sulyard Street having
dropped from 287 to 248). By October there were 70 members and ten years later
a hundred.
In addition
to two services on Sundays, there was a Thursday evening prayer meeting followed
by a preaching service. The first two babies to be baptised, two weeks after the
opening, were Bernard James Gorst and Kathleen Amy Warwick. Stewards were
initially appointed by Sulyard Street, and then the minister appointed Chapel
Stewards. The work of the church was under way. Class leaders were appointed,
classes organised, social events took place.
Fundraising
to clear the debt took the form of a Coronation Bazaar from 29th March to 1st
April 1911, when £1500 was collected. In 1923 another three day bazaar was held
to raise the money for an organ which was installed in April 1923 at the same
time as the stained glass windows.
Shown below is a Church
outing, believed to have taken place in 1923.
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Lancaster Methodist Church
