Steyning Methodist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steyning Methodist Church |
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The church from the west
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| 50°53′16″N 0°19′35″W / 50.8877°N 0.3265°W | |
| Location | High Street, Steyning, West Sussex BN44 3GG |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Methodist Church of Great Britain |
| Website | www.steyningmethodists.org.uk/ |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 12 July 1877 |
| Dedicated | 13 April 1878 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | James E. Lund |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1877 |
| Completed | 1878 |
| Construction cost | £1,885 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 300 |
| Number of floors | 1 |
| Materials | Flint, yellow brick, stone |
| Administration | |
| Circuit | Worthing Methodist Circuit |
| Division | Downs Section |
Steyning Methodist Church is a special place of worship for Methodists in Steyning, a village in West Sussex, England. It also serves the villages nearby. This church was built for a group of Methodists who needed a bigger space than their old chapel. The building has a Gothic Revival style and first opened in 1878. Since then, it has been made larger. The church is made of flint and yellow brick. It is located a little way back from Steyning's old High Street and is part of the village's protected conservation area. It is one of nine churches in the Worthing Methodist Circuit.
Contents
History of Steyning Methodist Church
Early Days of Methodism in Sussex
By the early 1800s, Protestant groups who were not part of the main Church of England, called Nonconformists, were common in Sussex. Wesleyan Methodism was especially strong. In 1807, the Lewes and Brighton Wesleyan Circuit was started. This group managed many churches across the county. By 1841, it looked after ten churches.
Methodists first started meeting in Steyning in September 1841. Steyning was an old village and an important place for trade. The village already had a church founded in the 8th century by St Cuthman. Even King Æthelwulf of Wessex was buried there later. Famous Quaker leaders like George Fox and William Penn were also connected to a Quaker meeting house in the 1600s.
Finding a New Home
In 1843, the growing Methodist group in Steyning bought a chapel. This chapel had been built eight years earlier for another local Methodist group. By March 1844, the Steyning Methodists joined the Lewes and Brighton Circuit. At that time, they had 33 members. The chapel was called Trinity Chapel by 1855, and its Sunday school was very popular.
By 1874, the church members thought about making the chapel bigger. But they decided it would be better to move and build a brand new, larger church instead. In 1875, Henry Northcroft, who was involved with other Methodist churches nearby, gave them a piece of land behind Steyning High Street.
Building the New Church
James E. Lund, an architect from Worthing, was chosen to design the new church. He was a Methodist himself. He designed a Gothic Revival-style church that could hold 300 people. It also included a schoolroom next to it for 200 children.
The building company of Charles B. Oxley from Steyning won the job to build the church. The official founding ceremony took place on 12 July 1877. Three important people laid the foundation stone: Henry Northcroft, Sir William McArthur (who was a Member of Parliament), and Caroline Spong. There were speeches, a celebration meal, and a public meeting where almost £100 was raised for the church.
Building was supposed to finish by October 1877. However, Oxley's company went out of business. Construction stopped for five months until another builder could be found. The church was finished quickly after that. It opened for worship on 13 April 1878. The building itself cost about £1,220. The total cost, including land and fittings, was £1,885. The church sold its old chapel, which helped pay for the new building.
Growth and Changes Over Time
The church faced some challenges in its early years. Its membership was quite small in the 1880s. But the ministers and members worked hard. They reached out to nearby villages and invited popular preachers. This helped the church grow, and by 1892, membership reached 27.
For a long time, the church did not have its own full-time minister. It was managed by the Shoreham-by-Sea Methodist Church. In 1912, a minister was appointed to live in Steyning and also serve the Ashington Methodist Church. But he left very soon after.
During World War I and World War II, the church building was used as a canteen for soldiers. A large air-raid shelter was also built during the second war.
The church building had improvements in 1907. In 1925, three extra rooms were added next to the schoolroom. These rooms had their own special foundation stones. Electricity was installed in the church in 1952. Major changes were made inside the church in 1968 and 1979. The 1979 changes, which cost £21,050, included a larger kitchen and a new meeting room.
After World War II, the church became stronger. It started working more with other churches in the village. Membership grew to 66 in 1962. Students from a nearby boarding school also enjoyed attending services. In 1978, the church celebrated its 100th birthday with a parade and a special service at the local Anglican church. The church was updated again in spring 2001 and then rededicated.
Today, Steyning Methodist Church shares a minister with the Storrington Methodist Church. They are part of the Downs Section of the Worthing Methodist Circuit. Steyning and Storrington are two of the nine churches still active in this Circuit.
Architecture and Design
James E. Lund designed Steyning Methodist Church in the Gothic Revival style. This style often looks like old medieval churches. The main materials used are flint and light yellow brick. There are also stone decorations and quoins (corner stones). This design is very different from the church's old chapel, which was plain and covered in stucco.
You enter the church through a porch into the lobby. The lobby was made wider in 1968. Originally, the lobby had glass panels with Gothic-style letters that read: Enter into His gates with praise. Other original features included special carpets, stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, a tall curved platform with iron decorations, and a wooden communion rail. A pulpit (where the minister speaks) was in the middle of the platform, and an organ stood behind it.
During the 1968 updates, the old organ was replaced with one from another church. The tall platform was removed and replaced with a flat platform. A side pulpit and a communion table were added in the center. A teak wood cross was placed on the wall above.
The church is set back quite a distance from Steyning High Street. It has a garden in front that was planted with lawn and shrubs in 1879. The Steyning Society, which looks after the village's conservation area, said that the area around the chapel is "a delightful area with a mixture of buildings on both sides of the road with a pleasing irregularity of building line."
See also
