Wood Street Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wood Street Congregational Church |
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Blue plaque at the location of the church
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| 51°28′40″N 3°10′44″W / 51.4778°N 3.1790°W | |
| Denomination | Congregational |
| History | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Founder(s) | William Watkiss |
| Architecture | |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Demolished | 1973 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 3000 |
The Wood Street Congregational Church was a large church in Cardiff, Wales. It was once the biggest Congregational church in South Wales. This historic building was taken down in the 1970s.
A Building with Many Lives
The building that became the church was first built in 1858. It started as a hall for the Temperance movement. This movement encouraged people not to drink alcohol. The hall was part of an area called Temperance Town. This area had many small streets near Cardiff Central railway station.
Just one year after it opened, the building changed. It became a music hall and even a circus! A famous acrobat named Charles Blondin performed there in the early 1860s. Later, a minister named William Watkiss (1827-1892) saw the building. He thought it would be perfect to bring many people to church.
The Church Grows and Changes
After some big updates in 1896, Wood Street became the largest Congregational church in South Wales. About 2000 people came to its services regularly.
Around 1917, the church bought a nearby building called Rapers Hotel. They used it as a Sunday School for children. Lionel B. Fletcher, a well-known speaker from Australia, was the minister from 1916 to 1922. In 1923, a group called the Big Tent Mission set up their camp behind the church.
However, times became tough for the church. The two World Wars and the Great Depression made things harder. In the late 1930s, Temperance Town was torn down. This meant many people who lived nearby could no longer easily attend the church. The building itself started to get old and run-down.
In 1964, some students studying architecture looked at the old building. They found some strange things! There were doors that didn't lead anywhere. Some windows were actually fake. And five doors facing Havelock Street had brick walls behind them.
The End of an Era
The Wood Street Congregational Church held its last service in November 1971. After 103 years of worship, it closed its doors. In 1973, the building was demolished. A new office building was built in its place. A blue plaque is now at the spot to remember the church.
