Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church
From Site
- Established: 1824
- Type: Methodist
- Minister: Reverend Gill Newton
- Address: Ramillies Avenue, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 7AL
- Telephone: 0161 485 1605
- Website: http://www.chmc.org.uk
Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church is located in Cheadle Hulme's district centre. It has the longest history of any church in Cheadle Hulme, despite being built in the 1960s.
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Background
Methodism was, at one time, the most common religion in the area, and the earliest record of methodism is from 1753. By 1787, there is evidence of preaching by John Wesley, founder of Methodism, in a farmhouse in Stanley Green. By 1800 there were meeting places in Gill Bent, and neighbouring places Whitford (Woodford) and Yeald Green (Heald Green), with further societies in Cheadle Hulme, Lane End and Smithy Green being established by 1820. It is likely that the society in Smithy Green met at Oak Farm, which is now the site of Cheadle Hulme School. The other societies would have met in similar places, likely a house of one of the worshippers.
Early meeting places
The society in Lane End eventually prospered well enough to purchase their own meeting place; this was the third floor in a row of cottages, since demolished, situated near to Millington Hall. This room served as a Sunday school; it became immensely popular, as only six months following its opening on 11 December 1814, in June 1815, there were 180 scholars. It was clear a bigger building was needed, so in 1824 a man named James Leech, a wealthy Methodist from Stockport, had the first church in Cheadle Hulme built, which was rented from him by the society. It held over 200 people, and on its opening it likely ended the societies in Gill Bent and Smithy Green. This church was one large room which served several purposes, including services and the Sunday school. Under the church were four cottages, though today it is more likely they would be described as flats. On Leech's death, the building was purchased from his executors. When the "new" church was built in 1884, the old one was sold for £600 (£45,000) and converted into houses, which became Wesley Terrace. It was, however, demolished in January 1967 to make room for Station Road which was being rerouted. Interestingly, the wooden cross outside the current church is made from wood from the original chapel of 1824.
1884 building
Due to the coming of the railway to Cheadle Hulme in the 1840s, the area's population began to increase quite significantly. The original church was becoming unsuitable for the needs of the people in the area; those coming to the area from places like Stockport and Manchester were unimpressed by the church and wanted something larger, with more rooms and a more imposing appearance. So in 1883 it was agreed a new church should be built; one site suggested was at the Albert Road end of Turves Road, but this was met with disapproval. It was eventually agreed to build on Station Road; the new chapel was to consist of the main room with a raised platform, two vestries on the first floor and two classrooms in the basement. A classroom was also to be built to the rear of the chapel, which was to hold 200. The chapel was built in a Venetian and Gothic style, and held 320 people. It was designed by architect Joseph Whittington. Costing £2,740 (£200,000) to build, the new chapel was opened on 27 March 1884. It was situated on Bellfield Avenue, where today there is an office block. There were several alterations made in the early 1900s: new schoolrooms and toilets were added, and in 1914 a gallery was built. Later on in 1926, the building was installed with electricity, and due to a further increase in population an annexed schoolroom was built in 1934 - the school now had around 350 scholars! During the world wars, the schoolrooms were used as day schools for children evacuated from places such as Manchester and the Channel Islands.
In the early 1960s, plans to improve the interior of the chapel were made, but before these plans could be put into action it was destroyed by fire on the night of 26 February 1963. The vestry was left undamaged, however, and a safe containing important documents was untouched. Importantly, the schoolroom was undamaged, and this served as a temporary chapel until the new one was built.
Current building
The current building was opened on 2 March 1968, and was built at a cost of around £82,000 (about £1 million today). It was build to seat 350, and it has served the area ever since.
| Churches |
| Church of England |
| All Saints Church • Emmanuel Church • St Andrew's Church |
| Others |
| Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church • Cheadle Hulme United Reformed Church • Christian Science First Church • Grove Lane Baptist Church • New Hope Community Church • Quakers Religious Society of Friends • St Ann's Church |
