History of the Wesleyan Chapel in Coleshill
In 1810 a John Mason obtained a certificate from the Bishop of Lichfield which granted him permission to use a house in Church Hill as a place for public worship. It was for the use of Protestant Dissenters. By 1826 this house had become established as a Methodist Chapel for he sold it to the Methodist Church for £264. It was situated on Church Hill just past the Old Grammar School on the way to Blythe Road.
There were 12 trustees, among their other duties, according to the deeds, they had to make sure that the appointed minister preached no other doctrines than those contained in John Wesley’s notes on the New Testament 1784 and the first four volumes of the sermons. Also if any preacher was immoral in his conduct, erroneous in doctrine or deficient in abilities as a preacher, then the trustees must call the other preachers and leaders of the circuit to come to the Chapel and sit in judgement.
By 1854 the Chapel must have been too small, for with the permission of the Methodist Conference they sold the property for £460 to the Digby Estate.
The Chapel moved to new premises in Parkfield Road opposite the school. There they stayed until the current building was ready in 1900.
In 1810 a John Mason obtained a certificate from the Bishop of Lichfield which granted him permission to use a house in Church Hill as a place for public worship. It was for the use of Protestant Dissenters. By 1826 this house had become established as a Methodist Chapel for he sold it to the Methodist Church for £264. It was situated on Church Hill just past the Old Grammar School on the way to Blythe Road.
There were 12 trustees, among their other duties, according to the deeds, they had to make sure that the appointed minister preached no other doctrines than those contained in John Wesley’s notes on the New Testament 1784 and the first four volumes of the sermons. Also if any preacher was immoral in his conduct, erroneous in doctrine or deficient in abilities as a preacher, then the trustees must call the other preachers and leaders of the circuit to come to the Chapel and sit in judgement.
By 1854 the Chapel must have been too small, for with the permission of the Methodist Conference they sold the property for £460 to the Digby Estate.
The Chapel moved to new premises in Parkfield Road opposite the school. There they stayed until the current building was ready in 1900.
The first wedding was conducted on 19 June3 1912 when Emily Dora Thacker married William Antrobus, the officiating minister was Alfred Antrobus, the same name as Emily’s father. She was then most likely married by her own father. The first to be baptised was Ernest James Brook on 20th January 1901, the minister was the Reverend E.H. Howard.
History of the Coleshil Congregational Church
The introduction of the Gospel to Coleshill given by J. Dagley to the annual meeting of the Warwickshire and Worcestershire Association at Stourbridge on the 08 October 1820 resulted in the association undertaking the expense for one year.
According to the Congregational Magazine 1835 the Chapel was opened on 09 December 1834, with John West, the Minister from 1834 to 1838 when he emigrated to Tasmania.
A declaration made when the early registers were deposited in 1837, the cause was founded in 1834, by which was presumably meant that they became a church at that point.
Other records show the foundation stone was laid in 1834 and the church opened on 19 December that same year. It was reported that the founder was Miss Mansfield. The church had a gallery that could seat two hundred people. The church had a manse and school room for most of the century there was not a resident minister. However after Mr West left in 1838 a Mr Salmon from Hertfordshire who had been missionary printer in India. Mr Salmon left for USA in 1842. He was replaced by Mr Rowe, a student of Spring Hill College who stayed until 1844. A business gentleman from Birmingham who was most unsatisfactory, dividing the congregation and neglecting the villages. He left along with the Church records and disappeared. IN 1850 a Mr Joseph who was a Home Missionary from Long Itchngton took over the ministry, in 1850 he had a Sabbath school of about 60 scholars who receive instruction from eight teachers.
The manse was rented out to local families: one family called the Stocktons lived there from 1928 to 1968. During the war the school room provided dormitory accommodation for American soldiers in the town. The old church was used as a dancing school, having stood empty for many years it has now been utilized as a Restaurant.
The introduction of the Gospel to Coleshill given by J. Dagley to the annual meeting of the Warwickshire and Worcestershire Association at Stourbridge on the 08 October 1820 resulted in the association undertaking the expense for one year.
According to the Congregational Magazine 1835 the Chapel was opened on 09 December 1834, with John West, the Minister from 1834 to 1838 when he emigrated to Tasmania.
A declaration made when the early registers were deposited in 1837, the cause was founded in 1834, by which was presumably meant that they became a church at that point.
Other records show the foundation stone was laid in 1834 and the church opened on 19 December that same year. It was reported that the founder was Miss Mansfield. The church had a gallery that could seat two hundred people. The church had a manse and school room for most of the century there was not a resident minister. However after Mr West left in 1838 a Mr Salmon from Hertfordshire who had been missionary printer in India. Mr Salmon left for USA in 1842. He was replaced by Mr Rowe, a student of Spring Hill College who stayed until 1844. A business gentleman from Birmingham who was most unsatisfactory, dividing the congregation and neglecting the villages. He left along with the Church records and disappeared. IN 1850 a Mr Joseph who was a Home Missionary from Long Itchngton took over the ministry, in 1850 he had a Sabbath school of about 60 scholars who receive instruction from eight teachers.
The manse was rented out to local families: one family called the Stocktons lived there from 1928 to 1968. During the war the school room provided dormitory accommodation for American soldiers in the town. The old church was used as a dancing school, having stood empty for many years it has now been utilized as a Restaurant.
The Church closed in 1972 and the Congregation Church joined the Methodist Church in Coventry Road to become the Coleshill United Church making it one of the earliest Local Ecumenical Partnerships ((LEP).
Currently the Coleshill United Church is administered mainly from the Birmingham Methodist Circuit but the United Reform Church also has input.
The United Reformed Church brought together Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Churches of Christ with unions in 1972, 1981 and 2000. Approximately 75,000 people make up 1472 congregations with 600 ministers. It is arranged into 13 Synods each with their own Moderator. The Moderator of the West Midland Synod is Mr Steven Faber who was ordained at Westminster College in 1998
Currently the Coleshill United Church is administered mainly from the Birmingham Methodist Circuit but the United Reform Church also has input.
The United Reformed Church brought together Congregationalists, Presbyterians and Churches of Christ with unions in 1972, 1981 and 2000. Approximately 75,000 people make up 1472 congregations with 600 ministers. It is arranged into 13 Synods each with their own Moderator. The Moderator of the West Midland Synod is Mr Steven Faber who was ordained at Westminster College in 1998