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This
outline history has been adapted from an account by Kenneth
Whittaker and includes personal memories of his involvement
with Methodism in Withington. Further information is
available from the Withington
Methodist Church website and from the Churches
and chapels page on this website.
Methodism
began as an
evangelical movement within the Church of England under
the leadership of John Wesley, a Church of England
clergyman, after he had, what became called, his
"Aldersgate experience" in 1738. Eventually, after John
Wesley's death, Methodism split from the Church of
England. Later, Methodism itself split into several
branches, with the main branches reuniting in
1932.
It
was two of the major branches of Methodism that came to
Withington: the Wesleyans and
the Primitive
Methodists (formed
c1811). They developed here in the usual way for
Methodism: A "Society" was set up with the help of
travelling preachers. The Society would meet in private
houses or other local premisses and, if it flourished, a
chapel would be built. Chapels in an area would be
linked within a "Circuit". Lay preachers would support
Circuit Ministers.
Wesleyans in Withington
1747: Wesleyan Methodist Society in Manchester.
1792:
Society started in Withington.
1829:
Sunday School and Day School (Day School to 1845).
1832:
First chapel on Old Moat Lane.
1865:
Moved to Wilmslow Road premises.
1948:
Burton Road (originally Primitive) Methodists join
ex-Wesleyan Circuit.
1954:
Burton Road Methodists unite with those in Wilmslow
Road, and the Burton Road chapel closes.
Primitive Methodism in Withington
From about 1820: Primitive Methodist Society in
Manchester.
Late
1870s: Society in Withington meeting in Lansdowne Hall,
Lansdowne Street
(now Nuneham Avenue, off Mauldeth Road). The Hall, which
latterly held a dancing academy, is now demolished.
1880-1891:
Burton Road area "Iron chapel".
1892-1954:
Existing chapel on Burton Road, now used as an Adult
Learning Centre.
Ladybarn Wesleyans
Withington's other Methodist Church
An account of Burton Road (one-time Primitive) Methodist Church with personal memories by Kenneth Whittaker
First published in Withington Methodist News, September 2014
Though
a fair amount has been written about the Wilmslow Road
church, much less has been written about the smaller
Burton Road church. This church building (1891) still
stands. In 1956, it became the home of the Withington
Community Association, and is now an Adult Learning
Centre.
My
Childhood Memories
I
was born and baptised a Primitive Methodist as my father
was a Primitive Methodist local preacher. In 1932,
whilst I was still a baby, Methodist Union took place.
Though the two Withington churches were now part of the
same denomination, they still went about things in
their individual ways. Indeed, until 1948 they were in
different Circuits. Burton Road church belonged to the
Great Western Street Circuit; Wilmslow Road church to
the Oxford Road Circuit (called the Withington Circuit
from 1940).
When,
in the mid-1930s, it was time for me to go to Sunday
School, it was the Burton Road one. My father used to
take me as he was a Sunday School teacher there.
We lived then in Fallowfield, but in 1938 moved to
Withington. We continued to attend the Burton Road
church and Sunday School. However, in early 1941, after
the Christmas 1940 Manchester blitz, we evacuated
ourselves to Heald Green to be near other family
members. We attended the Heald Green Methodist church in
Brown Lane until 1946, when we returned to Withington.
My mother thought there would be more "going on" at the
Wilmslow Road church, so we went there instead of back
to the Burton Road church.
The
earliest information on the Burton Road church that I have
in my possession dates from 1926. I have two copies of a
programme for the performance of Handel's Messiah on
December 5th of that year. I suspect that my parents were
in the augmented choir gathered for the occasion. At that
time, the Messiah was
performed annually.
The
period between the wars was a thriving time for the Burton
Road church. New housing was being built around it. I
believe it was necessary at one time to have two sittings
of the Sunday School. I have also been told that there
were no empty pews at the church services.
I
have two particular memories of the time I was in the
Primary Department of the Sunday School. One is going to
the home of the leader of the department, Mrs. Bagnall. I
went to learn how to recite a poem I had to perform at the
Sunday School Anniversary. I later forgot the name of the
poem, but Betty Harris did not, and a few years ago told
me it was William Blake's Little
Lamb, who made thee?
The
second memory is of a Rose Queen pageant in which I was
one of the page boys. The pageant was held in what was
then the Methodist Ministers' Training College in
Didsbury. I believe that, before my time, the scholars
went by horse-drawn lorry to Ford Bank in Didsbury for
an outing. The wagons we used had an iron framework on
top of them so tarpaulins could be pulled over us if it
rained.
The
Burton Road church activities from before the war have
all gone, like the church itself. However, the Primitive
Methodist cause in Withington had been going for sixty
years before I knew it. Admittedly, the local Wesleyans
go back further, to 1792.
Early
Days
The
Primitive Methodists missioning of Withington, about
1875, was undertaken by members of the Upper Moss Lane
church. There was no local church to preach in so they
used whatever premises they could find. One
building used was the Victoria Hall on Landsdowne Street
(now Nuneham Avenue). The hall had just been built by
the Independent Order of Good Templars, a temperance
organisation. In my days, the hall had become known as
Landsdowne Hall and was used by Rayburn's Dancing
Academy. The building has now been demolished.
By
about 1880, Primitive Methodism in Withington had become
established enough to consider erecting a building. The
first building took the form of an iron hut (the
Victorian equivalent of a pre-fab). It was on Burton
Road almost opposite the present building on the site
which later became Donnet's plumbers, and is now (2014)
Walsh's DIY store.
Although
the Primitive Methodists had their own Withington
church, money was in short supply. The South
Manchester Gazettereported, in 1887, that the
Sunday School Anniversary services that year had raised
only £4 (admittedly, bad weather had not helped).
However, the church was not without its activities. In
January 1887, the usual Tea Party for scholars took
place, with prizes and entertainment. Later in that
year, a series of concerts was held with the purpose of
raising money in aid of enlarging the recently set up
library.
In
the previous year, 1886, the Whitsuntide outing was to
Matlock (presumably by train). At Christmas, the usual
party took place.
By
1891, the Society felt able to build the premises that
would last them out. The new building was basically a
chapel at the front and a schoolroom behind. This was
entered by a side door. In the chapel was an organ that
was hand-blown. Mr Donnet (mentioned above as a local
plumber) was one of the first organ blowers. Many years
later, I took this job.
The
new building not only helped the Church's activities,
but also acted as home to the local members of the
Independent Order of Rechabites (a temperance and
benefit society). Activities included not only the usual
Sunday School, but also the Burton Road Sisterhood,
founded by Mrs. Pickett, and the Men's Fireside, founded
by Mr. Noad.
My
later memories
Although
the Burton Road and Wilmslow Road churches were in the
same Circuit from 1948, it was only after I completed my
National Service in 1952 that I renewed my contact with
the Burton Road church. I began to train as a local
preacher in that year, and helped to take the services.
Later I took the leadership role at the services. I met,
for the first time, some of the young people at the
church. I also was in contact with them through the
`Withington Churches Youth Council'. In the May 1953
newsletter, which I edited, the Burton Road members
reported that facilities at Burton Road were limited,
but they had been able to be successful at table tennis.
I recall that they were also good at lawn tennis.
The
last service I took at Burton Road as a local preacher
was in June 1954, only a couple of months before its
members united with those of the Wilmslow Road church.
The congregation was, by then, very small.
The
final rally and service was held on the weekend of
August 28th-29th, 1954. I was able to be at both. The
chief guest at the weekend was the Rev. Herbert Leggate.
He was well-respected at Burton Road, and was perhaps
its outstanding minister between the wars. At the time
of the amalgamation, the minister of both churches was
the Rev. Frank Harper.
The
end of the story of the Burton Road church was in 1955
when a memorial chapel was opened in the South Transept
of the Wilmslow Road church in May that year. The Burton
Road Memorial Chapel commemorated the successful union
of the two churches.
Although,
with the rebuilding of the interior of the Wilmslow Road
church in 1988, the memorial chapel has gone, there are
still a few ex-Burton Road people or families associated
with the present church. Those I remember from the past
include the Quinneys, the Connellys, the Clarsons, the
Richmonds, the Preens and the Harris family. The most
notable lay figure in the years when I was
associated with the Burton Road church was the Alderman
Harold Quinney. In 1959, he became Lord Mayor of
Manchester.
The
Burton Road minister I most think of is the Rev. R.J.
Smith, not just because he baptised me, but because he
came back to Withington after the reorganisation of the
Circuit in 1948.
I
give thanks for the part Burton Road church and its
people have played in my Christian Life.
Kenneth
Whittaker.
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For
further information about Methodism in Withington and
Ladybarn, see the Churches
and chapels page on
this website.
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