PREACHING PLACES and MEETING HOUSES a Provisional Gazetteer of Nineteenth-Century Protestant Nonconformity in Southampton by Veronica Green
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PREACHING PLACES AND MEETING HOUSES A Provisional Gazetteer of Nineteenth-Century Protestant Nonconformity in Southampton By Veronica Green Nineteenth-century nonconformists were prone to rebellion and revival, to schism and secession. New congregations arose by division from an existing church, by the missionary efforts of travelling preachers, by the inspiration of charismatic evangelists. They met in rooms over pubs and workshops, in scaffold lofts and converted laundries. They rented the Victoria Rooms, of the Philharmonic Hall, or Mr Monk’s Schoolroom, until they could build for themselves, or come into an inheritance from another denomination moving on to better things, or failing to keep up the payments on an ambitious building. Some of the back-street chapels and the smaller groups played “musical chapels” well into this century. This is a chapel gazetteer, in that it lists nonconformist places of worship. It is not only a list of chapels, that is, buildings used exclusively for worship, but also of known meeting rooms and private houses used for worship. It attempts to trace the history of worshippers as well as the buildings they worshipped in, and for the moment it concentrates on the old borough before the boundary extensions in 1895. It excludes the French Protestant congregation at St Julian’s, which had conformed in the eighteenth century, and Roman Catholics, who were listed as “nonconformists” in nineteenth-century directories, but would not now be so described. Basic sources, other than those mentioned in the text, are: Directories 1803-1899 Appendix A: Buildings used as Methodist places of worship, in The story of St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Sholing, by James W M Brown, Sholing Press, 1995 Willis, Arthur J: A Hampshire Miscellany, Vol. 3. Dissenters’ meeting house certificates in the Diocese of Winchester, 1702-1844. I am particularly indebted to Dr John A Vickers for his work on the history of Methodism in this area. His indexes, deposited at Hampshire Record Office, have provided me with information about trusts and registrations otherwise only available at the Public Record Office. I have traced the descent of nineteenth-century protestant nonconformist congregations in Southampton from their origins in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, down to their successors today. I have not begun to trace new congregations formed after 1900, or the buildings they used. Nor have I yet begun to locate all the many Mission Halls that were built by the Anglicans and Nonconformists alike towards the end of the last century. These of projects for the future. In the meantime, here it is: a work in progress. The gazetteer is arranged in street order, as far as possible by the most recent street name. The building number and/or name follows, if known. The names of chapels and places of worship are indented. A space between entries indicates separate buildings; no space indicates successive users of the same building. Entries in italics indicate secular/non-worshipping uses of the building. The illustrative quotations are drawn, as far as possible, from contemporary sources, and are meant to give a flavour of the buildings and the worship that took place there. References in capitals refer to other entries. I apologise for any Methodist bias. Blame it on my own denominational interests, which mean I have access to fuller information for Methodist chapels and more knowledge of the historical background. If you have any further of better information about any of the places of worship listed, please let me know for future editions of this gazetteer. Vicky Green, Southampton Reference Library, Special Collections, Civic Centre, Southampton SO14 7LW. Tel: 023 8083 2205. e-mail: [email protected] ABOVE BAR East Side Above Bar Independent (Congregational) Church 1682-1940 Dissenters meeting formed by Nicholas Robinson, ejected minister of All Saints. Isaac Watts Snr one of original members. First purpose-built Meeting House registered 1727. Rebuilt 1819-20, reconstructed and enlarged 1875, 1887. Destroyed by enemy action, November 1940. Congregation joined with St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, BRUNSWICK PLACE to form joint Presbyterian/Congregational church, 1941. Corner of Above Bar and Ogle Road, South Side Church of Christ/Above Bar Church 1881- Congregation formerly met in the Philharmonic Hall. Built and opened in 1881, incorporating bricks and wood from Ogle Hall. Organ (from Albion Church) donated by F Misselbrook. “A large building with an excellent congregation. It is unsectarian, and attracts many strangers, especially Americans.” (Southampton Annual 1899). Re-named “Above Bar Church” 1954. Re-developed over shops on same site,1980. Philharmonic Hall Free Church of England, 1872-3 Minister the Rev H M Barnett, formerly curate of St Jude’s, Mildmay Park, who was reprimanded by the Bishop of Winchester for “officiating and administering the Sacrament in the music hall within the parish of All Saints, without his license or the consent of the incumbent of the parish.” (Southampton Times 23.11.1872) He had “left the state church in order that he [might] assist those who are protesting against and are opposed to ritualistic practices” (Southampton Times 7.9.1872) Erected a tin tabernacle in CLIFFORD STREET, 1873 Church of Christ, 1876-81 American evangelist Henry Earl, originally from Northampton, was called to “open a work on American lines, free of crude notions the British Brethren hold”. Congregation formed with 33 members, 27th August 1876. Used Sankey’s Sacred Hymns and Solos in worship, “which at that time were beginning to be very popular.” New church built on the corner of Ogle Road,1881. Clock Tower “Street Preachers have gathered such noisy congregations by their oratory, that the residents in the neighbourhood have combined in a memorial to the authorities to cause them to move on.” (John Adams’s Southampton Almanack, 1898) ALBERT STREET, CHAPEL Albert Mission Hall, between 34 & 36 The first meetings of the Salvation Army in Southampton were held here in June 1881. “One of the ‘captains’ of [General Booth’s] army has obtained a certain following here, and has been holding services in the open space in South-Front and at the Albert Hall, Chapel. Preceded by flags, and shouting verses of well-known hymns the while, processions from one place to another have invariably been the order of procedure, and the residents at the upper end of St Mary’s-street have already become loud in their complaints.” (Southampton Times 2.7.1881) ALFRED STREET, NEWTOWN North Side, between 25 & 26/8 & 10 Wesleyan Methodist 1846-50 Chapel built by William Betts of Bevois Mount and leased to Wesleyans but never “made connexional” by the establishing of a trust under the Wesleyan Model Deed, a matter of some concern to the minister in his notes in the circuit schedules, 1848. Newtown Proprietary Chapel (Anglican) August 1850-3 purchased by Fredrick Russell, Curate, “for temporary use until the church was erected, after which it will be converted into the district school.” (1851 Religious Census) Directories show as “St Matthew’s Church”, but when the permanent church was built, it was called “St Luke’s.” St Luke’s National/Church School 1853-1906 Central School of Handicraft 1907-21 St Luke’s Hall 1935-41 ALL SAINTS PARISH Dwelling House of Ben Bolar, Independent, 1710 Dwelling House of Richard Taylor, 1795 House lately erected, 1798 ASCUPART STREET South Side, between 14 & 16 United Methodist Free Church 1867-70 Built by congregation meeting in “Mr Monk’s School Rooms, St Mary’s Road.” May have been successor to the Wesleyan Reform Society meeting in HANOVER BUILDINGS/Lower CANAL WALK. About 30 members with a heavy debt failed to prosper. Opened 20th October 1867. “Services are to be conducted not by any salaried minister, but by one or two of the members of the chapel, who volunteer their services.” (Southampton Times 26.10.1867) Salem Chapel, Particular Baptist 1871-8 from BEDFORD PLACE, moved to “St Andrew’s School Rooms.” Plymouth Brethren 1878 Salem Hall, Open Brethren 1880 Good Templers Hall 1883-4 Ascupart Hall 1890-1939 Ascpart Mission Hall (Undenominational) 1940-6 South Front Evangelical Church 1948-65 Formerly met at the old Primitive Methodist Chapel, SOUTH FRONT. Building given to the congregation by the landlord, Mr S E Peppler, in 1964 enabling them to benefit from compensation when the building was demolished. Replacement church build in JAMES STREET. AVENUE East Side, North-East corner of Alma Road. Avenue Congregational/Avenue United Reformed/ Avenue St Andrew’s United Reformed Church 1892- Daughter church of Albion Chapel, ST MARY STREET, founded as members began to move away from their businesses to the suburbs. Built on the site of Avenue House. Land purchased 1892, and tin tabernacle previously St John’s Free Church of England, CLIFFORD STREET erected as a temporary place of worship. Foundation stone laid 1897, opened 7th December 1898. Re-united with Albion Congregation when that chapel closed due to falling membership in 1935. Became “Avenue St Andrew’s” in 1986, when St Andrew’s BRUNSWICK PLACE closed. AVENUE PLACE see LONDON ROAD BACK OF THE WALLS Salvation Army Barracks, 1895-1908 BEDFORD PLACE West Side, between 82 &83 Building registered by C Purkis, 1834 See BRIDGE STREET Baptist 1855-57 Bedford Chapel , Particular Baptist 1866-9 From Victoria Rooms, PORTLAND TERRACE, moved on to ASCUPART STREET. Opened 9th December 1866. Mission Hall 1874 Brethren, 1895 Methodist Mission Hall, 1898-1914 Eddis, Thomas, second-hand furniture dealer, 1914-1915 Eddis, William, second hand furniture dealer, 1916-1917 Metropolitan Fruit and Potato Supply, 1923-5 BELLEVUE see BRUNSWICK PLACE & LONDON ROAD BELVIDERE TERRACE Between 42 & 44, next door to Board School Northam Congregational Chapel 1859-1940 Originally a mission, supplied by Albion Church, 1846-54, and Above Bar Home Missionary Society 1854-65.