Methodism In Kingswinford
by David Rice
In
1738 John Wesley returned to England from America, intending to return to
Oxford, but he was detained in London. It
was whilst he was there that he went unwillingly to a society meeting in
Aldersgate Street, where, as he listened to Luther's Preface to the Epistle to
the Romans, he felt his heart 'strangely warmed'.
Feeling compelled to share this personal knowledge of his Saviour, he
began his Nation-wide preaching career; the story of those early days is told in
one of his own sermons: "I was continually urged to preach in one and
another church, and that, not only morning afternoon and night on Sundays, but
on weekdays too,. As I was lately come
from a far country, vast multitudes flocked together, but in a short time,
partly because of those unwieldy crowds,
and partly because of my unfashionable doctrine, I was excluded from one and
another church, and, at length, shut out of all.
But not daring to be silent, after a short struggle between honour and
conscience, I made a virtue of a necessity, and preached in the middle of
Moorfields. Here were thousands
upon thousands, abundantly more than any church or Place of Worship could
contain, and numbers of them who never went to Church or Place of Worship at
all. More and more of them were out to the heart, and came to me in tears,
inquiring with the utmost eagerness what they must do to be saved.
He said: "If all of you meet me on Thursday evening, I will advise
you as well as I can". The
first evening about twelve or more persons came, the next week about thirty or
forty, and so they kept increasing." Methodism was born”.
By
1744, the year of the first Conference, there were strong centres of Methodism
in London, Bristol and Newcastle. In
1746, the word 'circuit' appears in the Minutes of Conference which refer to
seven circuits, one of which was centred on Evesham and stretched from Stroud in
the South to Wednesbury in the North. Called
the Staffordshire Circuit, this was listed in 1748 with Circuits in London,
Bristol, Cornwall, Ireland, Wales, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Newcastle.
By 1765 the Country was divided into thirty-one circuits and whilst the
boundaries of Methodism continued to expand, circuits became smaller units
grouped into Districts.
In
1770, Wesley passed through Staffordshire and recorded in his Journal for
Monday, March 19th, "I rode to Cradley.
Here also the multitude obliged me to stand abroad, although the north
wind whistled around my head. About
one I took the field again at Stourbridge.
Many of the hearers were wild as colts untamed, but the bridle was in
their mouths. At six I began again at Dudley.
The air was as cold as I have ever felt, but I trust God warmed many
hearts". Despite the cold and
the 'colts untamed' Methodism gained strength in the area, so that in 1782 the
Birmingham circuit was taken out of the Staffordshire circuit and, in 1787, the
Wolverhampton circuit was taken out of the Birmingham circuit.
There
were further developments in 1794 when the Dudley circuit was taken out of
Wolverhampton, but unfortunately Methodism passed into a difficult phase in its
history at this time. The Wesleyan
Methodists were looking towards the Established Church, from which Wesley
himself had never wanted to separate. Until
his death in 1791, John Wesley maintained autocratic control over the whole
connexion and had prevented a formal separation, but this had been inevitable
long before then. After Wesley's
death, divisions began to make themselves felt in Methodism and new Connexions
were formed from those who broke away from the official Wesleyan Connexion. The Methodist New Connexion was formed in 1797, the Primitive
Methodists in 1810 and the Bible Christians in 1815.
Primitive
Methodism grew around men who had been expelled from the Wesleyan Church because
of their association with 'Revivalism' based on a desire to return to the
methods of Wesley himself. For
several years they existed merely as the organisers of 'Camp Meetings', but, in
1811, they built their first chapel. Their
first circuit was Tunstall, formed in 1814, and it was from here that missioners
brought Primitive Methodism to the mining districts of South Staffordshire in
about 1818. At first they suffered
because of their preaching in the streets, but in 1821, a Primitive Methodist
Chapel was built in Bent Street, Brierley Hill, known as Round Oak Chapel.
This became the mother chapel for the Primitive Methodist Circuit formed
for the Brierley Hill area in 1850.
Meanwhile
the Wesleyan Methodists continued to spread through that area.
The Dudley Circuit Plan for 1812 shows chapels at Stourbridge, Cradley,
Brockmore and Commonside. To these
were added Lye Waste, Brierley Hill, Clent and Wordsley (which later became
Primitive) in 1825, and Amblecote, Thorns and Gospel Ash in 1827.
The Wesleyan Methodists had chosen Stourbridge for their centre for the
area and the Circuit was formed around the Chapel in New Road in 1828,
leaving the Dudley Circuit. One of
their first two Circuit Ministers was the Rev. John Rattenbury, who went on to
become President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1861.
Unfortunately, the early years of the Primitive Methodists in this area have not been at all well documented and there appears to be very little information about the building of the Chapel at Mount Pleasant. The early years of the Kingswinford Wesleyan Society have been recorded, however, the earliest date mentioned being 1837. A local preacher named Mr.Corns appears to have conducted the early services of the Society, which first appeared on the Circuit Plan in 1839. The first local preacher to be appointed by the Plan was John Pearson, an early Society member and a local colliery owner. Services and meetings were often held at Oak Farm, the site of a large iron-works which employed a large sector of the growing population of Kingswinford and Wall Heath. Meetings were held in Joseph Gilbert's house, one of the two cottages opposite the entrance to the offices of the iron-works.
The two Cottages opposite the entrance to Oak Farm Ironworks.
one of the two cottages opposite the entrance to the offices of the iron-works. In August 1840 the Society appeared on the Plan as 'Oak Farm and Kingswinford'.
At about this time Samuel Phipps came to Kingswinford from Shropshire to work in the Shut End Colliery.
House, next to the Bell Inn in High Street
He opened his father's house, next to the Bell Inn in High Street, for weekly prayer and preaching Services.
Meetings were also held in the cottages opposite the old Post Office at Dawley Brook, "in the house next to the blacksmith's" as Thomas Pope records, and also "in one of the houses lower down, which stand above the road".
Cottages in Dawley Brook
Cottages in Victoria Street, Wall Heath
Meetings in Wall Heath were held in the home of George Butler in Victoria
Street. On the Plan of August 1846, the
Society appears as "Oak Farm, Kingswinford and Dawley Brook"; in
January 1847 as "Oak Farm, and Dawley Brook"; in November 1847 as "Dawley
Brook"; in November 1849 as
"Wall Heath"; in August 1852 as "Dawley Brook" and after May 1853 it was known as the
Kingswinford Society.
Being
firmly established as a Society, the members naturally wanted to build a chapel
in which to worship. In about 1847,
whilst they were looking for a suitable site, a piece of land described as"
Mossgrove Inhedge at Towns End in the Parish of Kingswinford" which was part
of the Bradley Hall Estate of Edward Addenbrook of the Manor House, High Street,
was put up for sale. Mr. John Pearson, a mine agent of Gorsty Bank, Brierley
Hill, a local preacher and a leading member of the Society, went with George
Butler to see Addenbrook. After
they had explained the purpose of their visit and he had agreed to sell, he said
that he hoped that they were not going to build a Methodist chapel on the land.
They replied that they were there to buy the land and not to discuss the
purpose to which they wished to put it. John
Pearson added that he had a large family and that he wanted to grow some
vegetables for them to eat. accordingly, having completed the purchase of the
1,192 square yards of land for the sum of £119 : 4s : Od on January 12th, 1848,
he planted it with potatoes, giving the impression that he wanted it for a
vegetable garden. As he was leaving Addenbrook's Office for the last time,
Pearson was again told that Addenbrook hoped that a Methodist chapel would not
be built on the land. Pearson
replied that the land was now his and he could do what he liked with it.
Although this may seem rather an underhand way of acquiring land, it was a
method used quite widely by some of the early Methodists to avoid the refusals
of landowners, who were usually respected Anglicans and were, therefore,
reluctant to part with land for the building of chapels by breakaway sects. Despite the wishes of Addenbrook, it was now possible to
build a chapel and a Trust was formed of John Price, John Pearson, John Beckley,
John Caswell, James Pearson, Samuel Phipps, Zachariah Shakespeare, Edward
Cooper, William Gould, Joseph Hughes, Elijah Wilcox and George Taylor.
To these Trustees John Pearson presented 264 square yards of land on
October 28th, 1852, for the nominal sum of £25, which was probably refunded
later. Plans were drawn up,
builders consulted and tenders received. The tender for £250 given by Simon Bennett of Brierley Hill,
who was a prominent local preacher among the local Primitive Methodists, was
accepted. The stone-laying ceremony
was held in November 1852. This
effort raised £4:0s:4d, most of
which came from the tea which was probably served in a tent on the site.
The
new chapel was opened by the Rev. Dr
Beaumont of Birmingham on Monday, February 7th, 1853.
The Trustees considered the chapel to be well built although it was
rather plain, in the contemporary style. There
was seating for 120 in rentable pews, together with a number of free seats and
places for children. Many friends
gathered from around the circuit for the opening services and showed their
approval of the work that was being done by giving a generous £60:7s:7d. Services
on the following Sunday, the 13th, were conducted by the very popular Dr. Melsom of Birmingham and a further £56:9s:3 1/2d was given. It was not
certain that the chapel opened completely free from debt, but by the Trustees'
Meeting held in April there was a balance of £3:11s:lld. Dr. Melsom preached again in the following November and
raised a further £44:18s:5 1/2d.
Moss Grove Chapel c.1965
Enthusiasm
was also high among the Primitive Methodists in their newly formed Brierley Hill
Circuit. In 1857-8.
the Circuit was served
by the Rev Henry Higginson, a man of great stature and reputation, widely known
as the 'roving ranter'. One of his
exploits which has been recorded was his novel method of gathering a
congregation. He let it be known
that he wanted a rope to hang himself in a certain cottage. A woman screamed and all and
sundry came to witness the event. When the rooms of the cottage were full, the
preacher locked the doors and preached! The impetus that he gave to the local
Primitive Methodist movement was no doubt instrumental in stimulating the
interest of those who at this time were settling in the Mount Pleasant area of
Kingswinford, so that a Society was formed there. Most of the members would be from the mining community that
had sprung up there in 1849, earning
the area the nickname 'California'.
The
desire to build a chapel was hindered by lack of funds, for although Mount
Pleasant was an expanding area and there was little unemployment, wages were
low. The first month's collections
taken while the Society was meeting in local
houses amounted to only sixteen shillings.
They were not to be discourage however, and three gentlemen named Page,
Bate and Russon appear to have set about raising money.
Page loaned £10 and Bate £250 and between them they begged and
collected £54:7s:4d from friends in and around the area. A tea raised £3:8s:8½d
and further donations of ten shillings each from Messrs. Kimberly and Wilkes
brought their total funds up to £319:15s:0½d.
The Trustees paid £58 for the site and £9:10s:Od for the deeds.
When the chapel was opened in 1858 the whole scheme had cost £215.
The interior of the chapel was rough brick, washed in blue, but this was
later greatly improved by plastering.
In
1860 it was found necessary to build a Sunday School at the rear of the Chapel. Unfortunately the Society had to resort to a further loan of
£200 to pay off the previous debt and to pay for the erection of the Sunday
School. Although the Society never
regretted this expenditure, the financial burden had to be borne for many years
afterwards, despite what must have been the result of considerable effort the
paying off of £112 in 1870.
The
Wesleyans did not have a Sunday School building until 1869, although a Sunday
School had been started at the opening of the Chapel in 1853.
Samuel Phipps and a Miss Walker were the first teachers, working among
seventy-five scholars. The need was
also felt to enlarge the Chapel at this time.
A gallery had been inserted in 1860, which was replaced in 1903, but
further seating was required and plans were drawn up for the addition of
sixty-two seats by extending the length of the Chapel by six yards.
It was also resolved to build a schoolroom with a Main Hall large enough
to hold 200 people, and two classrooms. The
whole scheme was to cost £530. John Pearson conveyed another 828 square yards
of land to the Trustees on March 19th, 1869, for £123:4s:Od.
The opportunity was taken to form a new Trust, and to the five surviving
members were added William Henry Wood, George Butler, William Baker, George
Arblaster, Isaac Cox, George Underwood, William Newton, Eli Breakwell and Alfred
William Pearson, the latter being described as a "Surgeon's apprentice
On
February 13th, 1870, a former Minister of the Circuit the Rev Thomas Overton,
returned from Gloucester to conduct the morning and evening services for the
opening of the extensions. The
Superintendent Minister, the Rev Richard Eland, preached in the afternoon.
By the end of the day they had raised £368 towards the scheme, and the
remaining debt was paid off by 1877.
J.H.
Mees records that in 1865, the Kingswinford Wesleyan Society bought an organ for
£35. Thomas Pope does not mention
this in his 'Retrospect', but records the purchase of an organ in 1875, although
he does not quote a price. Mees also quotes this in a passage taken almost
verbatim from Pope's book and therefore seems to have been confused as to the
date on which the organ was bought. From
the style of the rest of his account, Mees appears to have had access to
official records which unfortunately are no longer available, but from which he
probably gleaned the purchase price of £35 paid in 1865. Whatever the date of the purchase the new organ was
undoubtedly a great help to the singing. Previously
the singing had been led by "Joseph Smithyman with his clarionet"
David Shakespeare and Noah Evans with their violins and Grandfather Jesse
Fellows with his well-worn bass".
In
the following years the Wesleyans considerably altered their Chapel at Moss
Grove. The old straight-backed pews were replaced, the Chapel was
cleaned and re-painted and heating was installed. The organ was renovated and rebuilt and was moved with the
choir stalls to floor level. The
Chapel was re-opened on October 9th, 1887, by the Rev. J.W. Bell of Brierley
Hill. The whole scheme had cost £317:11s:
8d. A Bazaar Committee was formed
under the chairmanship of Enoch Guy and the resultant Bazaar, together with
donations, raised £319:15s:lld. On November 3rd there was a Thanksgiving Tea
for the alterations which, the members considered, had given them ‘a chapel
equal to the requirements of Kingswinford’.
The
requirements of Kingswinford were changing, however, as the district became a
residential neighbourhood. Alterations and renovations to the Moss Grove
premises were considered as soon as 1893 so that a new Trust was formed by the
Superintendent Minister, the Rev. W.L.
Wingwell. The new Trustees were
James Crawford, David Guy, Simeon Richards, Beriah Price, Ernest Moggridge,
Thomas Pope, Enoch Brazier, George Hughes, John Jukes, Edward George, Zachariah
Shakespeare, Daniel Price, George Underwood Jr. Eli Breakwell Jr. and John
George. On October 16th, 1897, the
building was granted a Worship Certificate No 36230 by the Registry District of
Stourbridge together with a Certificate of Registration for the Solemnisation of
Marriages. Preparations for
alterations were well in hand by 1902 for on September 12th the Superintendent
Minister, the Rev. Charles E. Griffin, enlarged the Trust by adding to the
thirteen continuing Trustees David Cox, James Cole, Raymond Round, George
Meanley, William Guy, Noah Matthews, James H. Mees, William H.. Snelson, and
Henry Hand.
1903
was a particularly significant year for the re-opening of the Chapel.
It was not only the Jubilee of the Moss Grove Chapel but also the
bi-centenary of John Wesley. At a special service on Thursday, July 2nd, Mrs. E.
C. Downing unlocked the door with a golden key, the gift of Messrs. I.Round
& Sons, Jewellers. George
Meanley of Kingswinford, the builder, unveiled the stained glass window
presented by Mrs. Parry in memory of her late husband, Enoch Guy, who for many
years had taken a deep interest in the spiritual welfare of the Chapel and
Sunday School. The main feature of
the alterations was the facade of the Chapel which had been completely rebuilt
using terra-cotta work supplied by the Ketley Brick Company.
The following description of the renovations appeared in the Dudley
Herald of June 27th 1903:
"Up to the front
entrance there are four fine York steps and the new pallisades are of wrought
iron. At t the rear of
the building a new preachers vestry has been built, underneath which there is a
cellar where the flue for the heating apparatus is stored.
Inside the church the alterations are 'Very extensive.
The coiling has been made level and artistically ornamented, and the
windows have been replaced. They
now contain cathedral light-tinted glass supplied by Mr. G.H. Yates of Smethwick.
The heating apparatus was supplied and fitted by Messrs. Stephens &
Sons of Birmingham and it is a decided improvement on the old arrangement.
Mr. W. Fincher of Kingswinford has been responsible for the painting and
decorating, and the work reflects great credit upon him.
The whole of the pews are painted as dark oak, the walls are pea-green
and the ceiling a vellum of two shades, with ornamentation.
The aisles are laid with pitch-pine blocks, six inches by two inches. A
stained glass window erected to the memory of Mr. E. Guy figures conspicuously
above the communion rail. It is a
magnificent piece of workmanship, and represents the ascension of our Lord, with
the disciples Peter and John at His feet. 'Underneath
the window is a recess which is decorated with Indian cloth to suit the
colouring, with inscription over."
Messrs.
Nicholson & Lord of Walsall have completely overhauled the organ and given
it a thorough cleaning. The
Bourdon, which previously had only twelve pipes, now has thirty.
The front pipes have been decorated to match the rest of the colouring.
On the opposite side to the organ is the pulpit.
The electric light has also been installed, by Mr.W.H. Skelding of Castle
Street, Dudley. It consists of one
centre piece with ten lights and four others hanging from the ceiling with four
lights each". The architects
for the scheme were Messrs. Ewan Harper of Birmingham, and the builder was Mr.
Meanley of Kingswinford.
The
opening sermon was preached by the Rev. T.E. Ham of Birmingham.
Following the service some three hundred people were served with teas and
stayed to a public meeting to hear stirring addresses from Alderman Thorne, the
Mayor of Wolverhamptan, Alderman Price Lewis and the Rev J. Duff.
The
Trust Secretary reported that the scheme had cost £800.
Donations, a Bazaar and a grant from the Connexional Chapel Fund meant
that £425 of this could
be paid immediately. The rest was
cleared by Sunday collections and a further grant from the Chapel Committee.
A Bazaar was held in October 1914, but the proceeds were diverted into the Prince of Wales' Fund because of
the War. When the final clearing of
the debt was announced to the Annual Trustees' Meeting in 1915, they were
moved to sing the Doxology.
A
new Trust was formed in 1921 by the Superintendent Minister,
the Rev J.H. Willington. To
the remaining Trustees of George Heanley, Noah Matthews, Raymond Round, J.H.
Mees, and Zachariah Shakespeare were added, Harold V. Grove, Samuel Wright,
Frank Higgins, Richard Brookes, John T. Price, Edward Walker, Alice Jarvis,
George T. Cummings, Martha Shuttleworth, Amy B. Meanley, Ethel M. Grove, Phoebe
B. Round, Florence J. Higgins, Edith Walker, Maud Wright, Jane Cummings,
Elizabeth Simkins, George Talbot Lunt and William J. Price.
This was the first Trust in the Circuit to include Ladies, although the Chapel Committee thought that ten at once was 'unusual'.
This new Trust immediately began to plan for further alterations to the Chapel. By the end of 1922 they had raised £500 which was used to begin the work. The organ was renovated and a new organ chamber was built. There was a new choir vestry and the layout of the Sunday School rooms was altered and a kitchen and cloakroom added. Up to date lavatory accommodation was provided in both Chapel and Sunday School. The Chapel was re-opened on November 29th 1923, by Mrs J. Raybould of Stourbridge. Professor H. Bett of Handsworth College preached in the afternoon and lectured in the evening. Together with a public Tea and organ recital, the day's services raised a further £130 for the alterations Fund. By the end of 1927, all of the cost of £1233 had been paid off except for a debt of £157:10s:Od to the Chapel Committee that was to be automatically extinguished in 1937. In 1928 the Trust acquired the two houses adjoining the Chapel, one of which was to house the Caretaker, for £600 which was raised by a two-day Bazaar held at the end of November 1929.
The
members at Mount Pleasant were by no means idle during this period.
Just before the first World War the walls of the Sunday School were boarded and plastered, and two classrooms
and a platform were added. Most of
the money for this scheme was raised by 'pie banquets'. By 1930, enough money had been raised to inaugurate a scheme
to install electric lighting. In
1933 the Sunday School was redecorated by volunteers.
The choir presented the Chapel with a new organ in 1935 bought with money
that the members had raised. It is
recorded that up to about 1930, the music in the Chapel provided by the small
organ had been augmented by a small group of musicians, which expanded to a
small orchestra of about eighteen instruments at Anniversary times.
Local
Methodists in these early years appear to have been outstanding spiritual
leaders and unusual 'characters'. Those
who can remember these years refer to individuals who played a significant part
in their own spiritual growth. These
individuals were products of nineteenth century Methodism.
As children, and often as adults too, they attended Sunday School twice
on Sundays and many learned to read and write in this way.
Once a year for their 'treat', they walked in procession, with their mugs
tied round their necks, and their piece of oatmeal or seed cake in a paper bag,
to Summerhill or Wordsley Common. Sometimes
they would go by brake to Clent or Habberley Valley.
At the annual Prize Distribution they would receive, according to their
Attendance Record, a Bible (1/6d), a Sunday School Hymnal (6d or
4d), or some lighter work such as 'Little Henry and his bearer (3d), 'Ways of
Wisdom (3d), or 'Not a Drop More, Daniel' (2d) - (1885 prices !).
From the Sunday School many went out as men and women to work for God
through Methodism. Several men
became local preachers, whilst a few entered the Ministry, some to serve on the
Mission Field, such as the Rev Richard Painter Underwood who worked in the
Transvaal. The Revs Thomas Pitt,
John Teece, L.J. Crawford and Edward Livery all attended the Sunday School at
Moss Grove as children.
As
adults the members would be on the premises three times on the Sabbath and would
attend a variety of mid-week meetings of both devotional and recreational
natures. The Wesleyans even sported football, cricket and men's hockey
teams in the 1920's. Meetings
flourished and faded, but one of the few to continue throughout the life of the
Chapels was the Christian Endeavour at Mount Pleasant which met regularly over
the years under various leaders, notably under the inspired guidance of J.R.
Smith, who for many years ensured that the Endeavour was a place of spiritual
regeneration and Christian fellowship.
Methodism
in England was, however, to undergo great changes.
In 1932 the Primitive Methodists, the United Methodists and the Wesleyan
Methodists united to form one Methodist Church.
Past differences are rarely quickly forgotten and although Unity was
achieved at the National level in 1932, local divisions were still marked for
years to come. The local
ex-Primitive chapels remained in the Brierley Hill circuit whilst the
ex-Wesleyan chapels still formed the Stourbridge circuit despite the fact that
the two circuits overlapped considerably. Thus,
not only was Methodism in Kingswinford divided into two Societies, but also,
members came under the oversight of two ministers from two different circuits.
The rest of the story of Methodism in Kingswinford is therefore, the
story of the burying of all traces of past division.
Inevitably the story was not completed overnight and it is only thirty
five years later that the story can be told as being finished.
The story is by no means uninspiring and, like a good thriller, most of
the real excitement comes in the last chapter.
The
early chapters show rather a sad state of affairs.
Dwindling congregations became a nationwide concern of the Methodist
Connexion and most other denominations. Local
Methodist chapels could provide no exceptions; the buoyant enthusiasm of early
years lapsed into a frame of mind which tended to concentrate on the task of
keeping the Chapel doors open. Neither
chapel seems to have had much impact on the life of Kingswinford and accusations
of exclusiveness arose in this period.
A
possible step towards removing the traces of a divided Methodism came when the
Conference of 1944 united the
ex-Primitive and ex-Wesleyan Circuits to form the Stourbridge & Brierley
Hill Circuit. The two chapels in
Kingswinford, however, still managed to remain under the pastoral care of different ministers, Mount Pleasant being in the care of the
Superintendent Minister, then the Rev. W.W. Ensor, and Moss Grove being in the
care of the Minister at Brierley Hill, then the Rev R.L. Brook.
This position was remedied when an extra Minister, recently brought into
the Circuit at Hill Street, Brierley Hill, moved to live in the newly acquired
manse at 89 Market Street in 1950.
The first Minister to
live in Kingswinford was the Rev L. Johnson.
In 1952, the Sections of the circuit were revised and both Chapels came
under the pastoral care of the Kingswinford Minister, then the Rev. T. Williams.
During
the second World War, the Admiralty commandeered the front half of the Sunday
School buildings at Moss Grove. They
put up partitions to form an extra room at the back end of the Hall, a room
which came to be known affectionately as 'The Gas Chamber' because of the
gas-fire which was installed. Services
were sometimes held in the 'Gas Chamber' during the war as coke was not
available for heating the Chapel. Blackout
Regulations meant that the evening service was held at 3.15pm in the winter
months. The Moss Grove Sunday School was redecorated in June 1948,
and the Chapel was renovated in September 1949 and re-opened on October 9th by
the Rev. W.C. Chrimes.
In
1948 the Mount Pleasant Chapel was renovated and the furnishing improved by the
installation of the organ, pews and communion furniture from the Bent Street
Methodist Chapel which had closed. The
appearance of the Chapel was further improved when, on September 15th 1959 the
Rev. Enoch Allport and W. Walters
Ensor dedicated two stained glass windows, the gift of Miss Beatrice Mary and
Harold Vincent Smith given "in gratitude for the loving devotion of two
cherished parents and in remembrance of their long, unstinted service to the
work of the church they loved".
1953
brought the centenary of the Moss Grove Chapel.
On February 8th the well known soprano Isabel Bailey visited the Chapel
and entertained members and friends. The
Centenary Service was held on March lst, conducted by the Rev Edward Avery, a
former member of the Sunday School and the last candidate for the Ministry from
Moss Grove. Another former Sunday
School scholar, the Rev L.J. Crawford, preached on May 3rd.
A former Superintendent Minister, the Rev W. Walters Ensor made a special
visit on September 13th.
The
Rev Walters Ensor returned to Kingswinford in 1958 to conduct the Centenary
Services of the Mount Pleasant Chapel on November 2nd.
A special Afternoon Service was conducted by Jim Simmons, the local
member of Parliament. A former
Sunday School scholar, W.E. Brooks B.A. took the chair at the Sunday Afternoon
Rally.
It
is clear from the minutes of the Trustees' Meetings of both Societies that one
hundred years, whilst providing a fine heritage of witness and service, was
quite long enough to be using the same buildings.
It became obvious that new premises, more suitable to the needs of the
twentieth century, had to be built. This
presented a host of problems. With
regard to the Mount Pleasant Chapel, the Connexional Chapel Committee had ruled
that no large sums of money must be spent on the existing premises, which meant
that rebuilding was inevitable. The
Moss Grove Sunday School needed enlarging and, if possible, rebuilding. Attempts to purchase land adjoining the Moss Grove site
proved fruitless. Both sets of
existing buildings were threatened by Local Authority demands for land for road
widening schemes and that adequate space be provided for car parking.
This was the situation as the two Societies entered the 1960's.
Methodism in Kingswinford was then attended by a curious chain of events.
The
first event of major importance was the arrival of
the Rev Allan Kinsey in September 1960.
At his instigation the two
Societies were visited by the Home Missions Department's Caravan Missioners in
January 1962. Co-operation between
the two Societies had begun. Towards
the end of January the boiler at Mount Pleasant burst and the members there
joined the congregation at Moss Grove for a month while repairs were carried
out. The solution to the problem of
rebuilding now became obvious to some. Methodism
in Kingswinford could not afford to provide new premises for two Societies; only
a joint effort could bring about the building of a Church fit to use in the
worship and service of God in Kingswinford.
The
Chairman of the District, the Rev Brian S. O'Gorman, and the Superintendent
Minister, the Rev S. McCutcheon, attended the historic joint meeting of the
Mount Pleasant and Moss Grove Trustees on June 25th 1962.
The motion that "given the possibility of a church and school in
which to work to the glory of God, members of the two Societies present would be
willing to work together as one" was
carried by forty four votes to six. The
only suitable site available in the village was MacMasters' Field on Stream
Road. The Superintendent Minister
made £10,000 available from the Payne Bequest for the immediate purchase of the
land. The Chairman of the District
assured the two Societies of his support for the scheme, both at District and
Connexional levels. Messrs. Desmond
T. Crews & Partners were chosen
to be the Architects for the new Church. A
'steering Committee' was appointed to have oversight of the progress of the
scheme and the raising of the money, an estimated £50,000.
Following
the purchase of the site, the Circuit Ministers conducted the Service of
Consecration on Sunday June 23rd, 1963. In
October 1964, after the Architects' plans had been approved by the Trustees and
the Brierley Hill Urban District Council, the contract was given to Messrs A.J.
Cramp & Sons Ltd of Dudley. At
last work began on the site and on June 19th 1965, Kenneth J.G. MacMaster of
Wollaston laid the Foundation Stone of the building "to be here erected for
the worship and service of Almighty God".
In
April 1965 the Mount Pleasant Trustees had agreed to close their premises and to
offer the property for sale. The
Sunday School was to remain open until the opening of the new school on Stream
Road, but on July 11th 1965 the Chapel was closed for Public Worship.
The Chapel was packed for the Closing Service; a service full of emotion,
of sadness and yet, of rejoicing. The
members and friends sang hymns from the old Primitive Methodist Hymnbook and
praised God for the witness and service that had filled the life of the Chapel
since 1858.
On
the following Sunday, the Rev Allan Kinsey conducted the service for the union
of the two Methodist Societies in Kingswinford at the Moss Grove Chapel.
Eleven months later on June 12th 1966, the last service was held in the
Moss Grove Chapel. The members and
friends looked back over the years to 1853 and gave thanks for the witness and
service of the Society since that date. Once
more the members were told that, although to look back was inevitable on such an
occasion, they must look forward to find new fields of service in the new
Church.
The
following Saturday, June 18th, a year after the laying of the foundation stone,
the Kingswinford Methodist Society was standing in very different surroundings. When the members and friends had packed the church, the Hall
and the connecting corridor, the Rev Allan Kinsey demanded that the doors be
opened and that he and his colleagues "be given access, so that with those
already assembled, we may begin to give praise to Almighty God and witness the
consecration of this House". With
a key presented to him by Desmond Crews, the architect, the Vice President
Designate of the Methodist Conference, Albert Bailey, J.P., unlocked the doors,
and the choir and clergy entered in procession. There followed a service of praise and consecration.
The lessons were read by the Vicar of St Mary's, Kingswinford, the Rev
Prebendary T.F. Wooley, and the Rev Ivan Homer, one of the circuit Ministers.
The Chairman of the District, Rev Brian S. O'Gorman dedicated the
building "to the Glory of God, for the worship of God and for the
conversion of sinners, the promotion of righteousness and the extension of the
Kingdom of God". The Rev Roy
Peacock, the Minister in Kingswinford 1956 - 1960 dedicated
the pulpit, the Rev Peter Potts, a circuit Minister, dedicated the font, the Rev
Allen Kinsey dedicated the Communion Furniture, the Rev Samuel McCutcheon, a
former superintendent Minister dedicated the Lectern and Bible.
The Rev George Elvidge, the Superintendent Minister, then invited the
congregation to dedicate themselves anew to the worship and service of Almighty
God. The choir sang the Anthem
"Come, Holy Spirit" specially written for the occasion by Miss M.
Brockhouse of Buxton and set to music composed by the organist, Mr Noel Lee.
In
his address Rev Brian S. O'Gorman said that the people of
Kingswinford should be faithful to the vision of their forefathers who built
the old chapels at Mount Pleasant and Moss Grove and transfer it to 1966.
He called for absolute loyalty to the new Society.
"The life and witness of this Church will lie in the regularity of
the worship of the people in this Church" he said.
He congratulated the members on the happy union between the two old
Societies, saying that the new Church had to combine the best of the two
traditions. "This is an
opportunity to portray how Christianity brings people together.
The best of each will be brought together and become a great dynamic
force". The Rev O'Gorman went
on to pay tribute to the tremendous zeal of the Rev Allan Kinsey, who, he
announced, would be leaving Kingswinford in September 1966 for a circuit
in Yorkshire. The Chairman hoped
that the new Minister, the Rev William Stubbs, would receive consistent loyalty
from the Society. A collection of
£700 was taken and
a former Superintendent Minister, the Rev Laurence Tattersall, pronounced the
Benediction.
The
new Church and Society were ready for the worship, witness and service for which
they were created.
“……to the Glory of God, for the worship
of God and for the conversion of sinners, the
promotion of righteousness and the extension
of the Kingdom of God.”