Crewe, Hightown United Methodist Free Church

The attached article from the United Methodist Free Churches Magazine  summarises the history of Free Methodism in Crewe. Starting with a Wesleyan Methodist Association chapel seating 180, the congregation built larger chapels as they felt the need: for 350 in 1860 and 740 in 1882. By 1940 the chapel illustrated was believed to seat as many as 800.

The Hightown chapel was designed by Samuel Hurst (1849-1890) of Maxwell, Tuke and Hurst, the architect of Southport, Duke Street  Perhaps you can see the similarities.

The foundation stones were laid on 16th October 1882, and the chapel opened on 25th July 1883. the chapel seated 740, and the school had space for 360 scholars.

Following Methodist union, the chapel was renamed Heathfield, in order to avoid confusion with the former Wesleyan Hightown chapel.

Sadly the chapel closed in 2009. A photograph of the chapel in the twentieth century may be found here

Sources

United Methodist Free Churches Magazine, Vol 27, 1884 pp263-265

The Methodist Church, Department of Chapel Affairs. Statistical returns 1940