Castle Gate Congregational Centre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Castle Gate Congregational Centre |
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Castle Gate Congregational Centre
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| Denomination | Formerly Congregational now Independent |
The Castle Gate Congregational Centre is a special building in Nottingham, England. It's a very old church that has been around for a long time. This building is so important that it's listed as a Grade II historic building. This means it's protected because of its history and unique architecture.
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A Look Back in Time
The group of people who started this church first came together in the 1650s. This was a time when people were looking for more freedom to practice their religion. The very first meeting house for this group was set up in 1689. It was located on Castle Gate street. This was possible thanks to the Act of Toleration. This law allowed different religious groups to worship more freely.
The building you see today was built much later, in 1863. It was designed by an architect named Richard Charles Sutton. The church officially opened its doors for worship in 1864.
Over the years, the church has seen many changes. In 1972, the congregation joined the United Reformed Church. A few years later, in 1975, they merged with another church called St. Andrew's United Reformed Church. However, in 1980, the original church group bought the buildings back. More recently, in 2010, another Christian group, the El Shaddai International Christian Centre, started using the building for five years.
Churches That Grew From Here
The Castle Gate church was very successful. It helped start many other churches in the area. Think of them as "daughter churches" that grew from the original one. Some of these include:
- Park Hill Congregational Church: This church started in 1823.
- Boulevard Congregational Church: This one opened in 1824.
- Bloomsgrove Mission: Formed in 1836, it later became Norton Street Congregational Church.
- Albion Congregational Church, Sneinton: This church opened in 1856.
- Old Radford Mission: Founded in 1860.
- Thorneywood Congregational Church: Started in 1861.
- Addison Street Congregational Church: Founded in 1867.
- Queen's Walk Congregational Church: Started in 1869.
- St Ann's Well Road Congregational Church: Founded in 1870.
- Sherwood Congregational Church: Opened in 1927.
- Parkdale Congregational Church: Opened in 1930.
- Lenton Abbey Congregational Church: Started in 1929 and opened its church in 1933.
- Clifton Congregational Church: Founded in 1956.
The Church's Leaders
Many different ministers have led the Castle Gate Congregational Centre over the centuries. These leaders helped guide the congregation and shape the church's journey. Here are some of the people who served as ministers:
- John Ryther: 1686 - 1704
- Richard Bateson: 1704 - 1739
- James Sloss: 1739 - 1772
- Richard Plumbe: 1773 - 1791
- Richard Alliott: 1795 - 1843
- Samuel McAll: 1843 - 1860
- Clement Clemence: 1860 - 1875
- John Bartlett: 1875 - 1883
- R. Baldwin Brindley: 1883 - 1901
- Alexander Roy Henderson: 1902 - 1919
- E.J. Hawkins: 1920 - 1930
- G. Hartley Holloway: 1931 - 1937
- J.E. James: 1941 - 1943
- R. Angel Wakely: 1944 - 1950
- Ronald Ward: 1953 - 1959
- Robert Duce: 1961 - 1970
- Brian Nuttall: 1971 - 1975
The Church Organ
When the new church building opened in 1864, it got a brand new organ in 1865. This organ was built by a company called Forster and Andrews. It cost £449 back then. This first organ was later sold in 1908 to another church, Hyson Green United Reformed Church.
The church then got its current organ in 1909. This organ was originally built in 1903 for a person named Councillor George E. Franklin. It was made by James Jepson Binns and was quite expensive, costing about £3,500 at the time.
Organ Players
The organists are the people who play the organ during church services. Here are some of the organists who have played at Castle Gate:
- John Adcock: Around 1890
- F.W. Christall: Until 1930
- C.B. Morris: From 1930 onwards
- Terence W Bennett: 1969 - 1971
