Crewe, Hightown United Methodist Free Church
Heathfield chapel
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.
Sources
United Methodist Free Churches Magazine, Vol 27, 1884 pp263-265
The Methodist Church, Department of Chapel Affairs. Statistical returns 1940
Comments about this page
A schoolroom designed by Geo. E Bolshaw of Lord Street, Southport was built in 1890. The contractor was A P Cotterill of Crewe and the cost £1.#,300.
Building News 8.8.1890 p.177
Thank you to DGC for pointing out that the photograph was of a completely different building. Not sure how that was missed, but the link has been removed.
There seems to be some confusion. The chapel represented in this article is not the same as the one linked to the 20th century image.
This is the link to the chapel shown in 1884 image
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vkTBzbWQ5nVnvEYk7
This is Hightown Methodist church in 2009 which no longer exists.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cd3oCoaxj2MMqpYi9
It was on Browning Street, off Hightown and around the corner from the much larger chapel shown above. According to NA this is the chapel renamed Heathfield (next street along Hightown is Heathfield Avenue).
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/e8c98c3d-c4dc-4a1f-be35-18cba95aecbd
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