1914 Station Road New Wesleyan Chapel |
New Chapel Completed - 1914
Lawley Postcard of new Wesleyan Church circa 1920. Supect this photograph is taken very soon after opening as the stone work around the door is very clean and new.
Another early undated photo but taken probably very early post world war one.
This 1904 edition of the Methodist Hymn Book was presented but Mrs J.A. Patrick to the trustees on the opening of the new church and still contains well known harvest favourites even if many other hymns are now no longer in the current book.
One of the few original interior fitments to survive is this ceramic sink still with its lead piped U bend functioning below. Made under the trade name "The Utilus" it still serves the Vestry toilet. With most of the interior fitments being replaced over the years one original overhead cast iron toilet cistern has been refurbished and still in a domestic house in Staffordshire.
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The current building in Station Road was completed just before the start of World War one. Foundation stones in the East wall nearest the road are dated 4th October 1913. Deeds for the previous Birmingham Road chapel state that this was the old chapel on a deed dated 18th December 1914. The new chapel was opened on 7th February 1914 and is commemorated by the big church bible which is still present in the church.
Bible dedication still in use in the chapel
Mrs Patrick seems to have been a generous benefactor - this is a recently rediscovered old hymn book - a 1904 edition but specially inscribed for the opening of the chapel.
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The 1930's
Interior alter view taken from card mounted photograph which must be circa 1930's
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Interior view of an unknown date, showing little change to the present day in the fabric of the church. The organ has been moved 90 degrees and the light fittings changed. Some of the chairs shown here are still in use in the adjacent school room. Could it be that the vase on the altar is the 1928 dated one for Whitacre Wesleyan Chapel; still in use today?
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1990's - Replacing the fabric
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By the early nineties much of the original church fabric was approaching the end of its life cycle. Window and the roof replacement were rapidly becoming the most urgent. The roof was replaced circa 1991 and this removed the central small ventilation shaft that used to previously grace the main church and gave the church a more clean look shown here. Next a new heating system then windows were replaced and were upgraded to double glazed units. The original patterns were replicated in the new glass work.
More information on the rear ribbon of stone blocks Contemporary Newsletters describing the fabric replacement of the 1990's
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2020's - further progress
New Gates
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The original gates seem to have been replaced soon after the second world war as a war memorial. By the bicentenary of Methodism in the village in 2019/2020 they were tired and despite having new posts around the Millennium were getting hard to open and had structural issues.New gates have been erected on one new post and look very smart once again and open easily.
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