Methodism in Hoole: Difference between revisions

It was however the Wesleyan Methodists who had by 1876 formed a Society in Hoole and rented from August 1888 a shop in which to practice, who provided the first local place for Methodist worship. At a local preachers’ meeting held on the 21st November 1888 it was reported that the shop was too small, and it was resolved to rent a site opposite All Saints Church’s new school (School Street). The site, measuring 300 sq. yds, was rented at £5 per year for 3 years with the option of purchasing it at 6s per sq. yd at the end of the lease. The vendor was J.P. Court of Liverpool who was developing the estate of the late John Lightfoot which stretched from Lightfoot Street to Faulkner Street.

 

File:4RHF2 Minutes of preachers' meetings 1888 1.jpg

File:4RHF3 Minutes of preachers' meetings 1888 2.jpg

In April 1890 Dr. Butt, Medical Officer of Health for Hoole, was asked to be involved. The guardians at that point were J.D. Bowers, J.S. Moss, W.J. Davies, R. Lamb and Jas. Walker. The chairman was Richard Peart. In October 1891 David Dickinson, having resigned his position moved that the mission be given up. In May 1895 it was recommended that a sum be sought from the Home and Foreign Missionary Collection, and that is the last entry in the minute book. The Chapel was presumably at some time demolished and it has been suggested that the erection of a more substantial chapel in Hamilton Street by the Primitive Methodists led to its closure.

 

The first record entitled 'Primitive Methodist Chapel, Hoole' begins with the opening on Sunday evening 2nd November 1902 of a Mission Room in Faulkner Street, the preacher being Mr. B. Adams (likely to have been Beresford Adams). The record, which is a payments and receipt book, shows weekly collections from 2nd November of between 8s and 12s per week, and outgoings of 5s a week for rent, 1s for caretaking and 6d for the use of a lamp. The balance was sent to Mr. Kennerley who was the Treasurer.

[[File:4RHF6 Payments and receipt book 1902 3 1.jpg|left|thumb|''<small>Pages from payments and receipt book 1902/3</small>'']]

The payments and receipt book show on 5th March 1904 income of £1 from the 'Band of Hope' (Mr. Dawson, Newsagent) and on March 6th £1 2s from a Bible Centenary collection. Also in 1904 the first record of Sunday School class monies (£4 2s 7d) appears. On 26th February 1913 a tenth anniversary service raised £5 14s 6d.

 

In 1914 a new building fund was set up, Mr. Kennerley still being the Treasurer. Two letters to him from Edith Randles who lived at The Oaklands are in the Cheshire Record Office files; one dated 4th October 1917 enclosed £5 from Sunday School collections towards the new building, the second undated enquires on progress, since Miss Randles had provided income every month since 1901. Her father, Joseph Randles, long associated with Methodism died in July 1917 and his funeral service was held in the Chapel, which was often referred to as the School Room. A foundation stone of the new Church was laid in his name.

 

After 25 years of planning Primitive Methodists had a place of worship which reflected the enormous amount of work done by this non-conformist organisation in Hoole. In 1932 the various branches of Methodism were to be reconciled, Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists coming together.

 

Records show the turnover of ministers, the following list, not fully researched, gives some indication of the changes over the years:

 

1977                Rev. A. Shannahan

 

Morning and evening services and Sunday School in the afternoon on Sundays followed the established pattern for worship with extra celebrations at Easter, Christmas, and Harvest time etc. Frequently services were devoted to themes such as business, sport, civil defence, and railway workers. Whilst having a strong basis in prayer, both the Ladies Circle and the Men's Fellowship provided the stimulus and the means for the Church to be an active and outgoing organisation, participating in many local and national events.

 

A minute book of the Sunday School 1934 to 1978 records monthly teachers' meetings and reports that the Hamilton Guild of Youth was formed in September 1934, girls meeting on Mondays and boys on Fridays.

 

In 1957 there were 151 scholars (primary 30, junior 75, senior 29, young people 17 plus 41 on the cradle roll). There were 30 teachers. In 1963 minutes of the Chapel Committee note that 203 young people were involved in youth activities attached to the Church.

 

Much of the following is compiled from information gathered for the Church's Centenary Celebrations which took place in 2003.

 

A quartet of Rose Queens and their retinues

 

In the 1920s and 1930s members of the Church staged a mock auction and a mock wedding as entertainment. There was a production of Dick Whittington in 1979 closely followed by an epidemic of chicken pox amongst the cast. In 1985, Church members presented an Old Time Musical.

 

The Hamilton Players - Advertisements, list of productions, cast of "Wishing Well" 1953

 

Before it took over a building on the site of the cricket pavilion on the playing field as its headquarters, Hoole & Newton British Legion held its meetings in the School Room, from its foundation in 1944. Every Friday evening from March 1946 ex-servicemen and women could seek advice on pensions, benevolence, employment etc. In 1947 a Tenants' Association for Hoole Urban District Council council house residents was formed there.

 

 

In 2019 discussions on the possibility of a merger with The United Reform Church on Hoole Road began with a view to forming a Hoole Community Church; the process was largely put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, but some joint activity in the form of online worship and a printed service has taken place.