Plank Lane, Zion United Methodist Church

We are grateful to Alan Nixon for bringing this building to our attention and sharing his photograph. Plank Lane is a former colliery village near Leigh.

Plank Lane United Methodist chapel was opened on 16th January 1916. There were afternoon and evening services, and these included a performance of The Messiah.

In 1940 the church could accommodate 350, but by 1970 this had reduced to 313, although there was also accommodation for 200 in the Sunday School, which had seven classrooms.

The United Methodist Free Churches had opened  a School-chapel in 1866, where the building was a day school during the week, but also a chapel. It was one of three chapels in the Hindley Green Circuit. It appears from mapping evidence that the school was to the left of the building marked on the map. After the new chapel was built the school continued in use as a Methodist Primary School, closing in 1987. The site is now occupied by modern housing.

The church closed in 1974, and became a day nursery. The baptismal registers from 1886 to 1974 have been transcribed on Lancashire Online Parish Clerk.

Sources

Methodist Church, Department for Chapel Affairs. Statistical Returns, 1940

Methodist Church, Department for Chapel Affairs. Statistical Returns, part 1, 1972

Ordnance Survey. Lancashire C11.6 25 inch map, 1928

Leigh Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser Friday 21 January, 1916

A History of the County of Lancashire. Vol. 3  London:Victoria County History, 1907 p421