This
article recently arrived from Arnold T Hindley of Durham, a former member of
Fulwood Methodist Church, who responded having received the ‘Building
Together’ information.
1.
During the war, a side-room being used by the fire-watchers? My father
was one of these fire-watchers which is why I remember it so well. It had
several bunks and contained the fire-fighting equipment.
2.
‘Romany’ of the BBC being the officiating minister to a packed church
in May 1943? Romany was a Methodist minister who was the mainstay of a long
running and popular series of countryside walks entitled “Out with Romany”.
3.
The room which is now the ‘Quiet Room’ being used by the County
Council as a Library before they built another?
4.
Hearing about Neville Barron? For many years after the church was built
he was the leader of the Young People’s Class which met in the Quiet Room –
which in fact was built with that purpose in mind.
5.
Evacuees during the war using the premises as their
school? These evacuees were housed locally, having been evacuated from Liverpool
and came with their school teachers. Most of them returned home after two or
three years.
6.
Boys of the church, during the war, striving to carry heavy buckets of
water up the ladders to the church roof space as a precaution against incendiary
bombs? Perhaps you, the reader, were one of these boys!
7. The surprise also during the War when the congregation realised that Italian Prisoners of War were worshipping with them during a service?
8. The fire in the church near the organ which luckily was discovered before the church was severely damaged?
9. The many bazaars held in the 1930’s to raise funds for the church where most of the ladies appeared to wear bright floral coloured frocks?
10.
The sand trays in which the youngest children of the Sunday School used
to play with model camels, tents, donkeys and pyramids?
11.
J Saunders Arkwright, a great Christian, local preacher and a person
around which the church seemed to revolve for many many years?
12.
Harold Betts, Bob Kitching and Ian Sumner who became Methodist Ministers?
And also a Sunday School teacher who became an Anglican Clergyman about 1940?
13.
During the war, the praying for and the reading of the names of all the
church adherents were in the forces? I especially remember the name of Albert
Atherton who was well known to the youth of the church.
14.
Seeing the foundation stone of the church (somewhere in the South West
corner)? I have an idea that this stone was inscribed but no inscription is now
visible.
15.
Nora Robinson? She loved
the church, was lame because of having contracted polio as a child, and ran the
10 year old Sunday School Boys’ class as well as the Brownies for many years.
Lov
16.
The gas boiler in the kitchen which had a remarkable habit of blowing-up?
This was due to the high pressure of the gas which inevitably built up before
the boiler was lit. This caused much amusement but was quite dangerous.
17.
The stage at the North end of the hall and under which were stored
chairs? There were trapdoors in the side of the stage. Children delighted to go
under the stage when not observed.
19. The air raid shelter in the garden at the back of the church? This was built by the Urban District Council and was removed at the end of the war, the church paying the costs.
20.
Five chapel keepers? Mr
Nicol, well known as a grocer and very evangelical. Mr Lund a short stocky
humorous individual who would often be seen teaching judo. Mr Hart who was a
born raconteur and would frequently have a score of children around listening to
him. ‘Sid’ Fisher, who was one of the fire-watchers and would appoint
himself chief make-up artist for church shows and concerts, and of course Mrs
Lambert whom I remember for the encouragement she gave to the many and varied
church leaders.
21.
Dorothy Fielding? She was
the Sunday School Superintendent for many years. I especially remember her for
what she once said at a public meeting: “I can trust any person in any
situation to behave correctly if he or she has grown up under the auspices of
the Fulwood Methodist Church”.
Now
my thoughts are that if you do decide to print it, you might follow it by a
sentence or two saying that the Editor would be pleased to have any further
information about the ‘above’. This might then enable you to enlarge on any
of these points in the next issue of the magazine, or, might enable interesting
information to be collected which might be shown in a centenary booklet to be
published in 2011.
MORE ECHOES OF THE PAST
(Note) The paragraph numbers in this article refer to the paragraphs in the similar article in the previous edition.
Just a few thoughts regarding Arnold Hindley’s remembrances, which were very interesting: -
3) The room, which a few of us oldies call The Library, was once called "Mr Barron’s Room" as it was where he held his class on a Sunday. Mr Barron being Betty Lenn’s father.
4) The Quiet Room, now the Primary Room (I think) was built to hold 8 o’clock Sunday Communions, and for other times of quiet fellowship, in Ronald Jobling’s days at the same time the door was built into the eastern transept.
5) I think that most of the evacuees came from Manchester!
7) I don’t remember Italian prisoners of war, but I do remember Germans just after the war. At least three of them came to Sunday services and to play badminton and table tennis on a Monday night. We had to be very careful not to be accused of "fraternising" - which was a punishable offence!
8) The fire was a result of electric wiring being wrongly earthed.
12) It was Herbert Betts who entered the ministry on his retirement. Another young Fulwood man who entered the ministry was David Halstead, who is presently Chair of the Sheffield District. The person who became an Anglican Clergyman would be Jim Hamilton; he is now a retired Canon. He became a "Bevin Boy" during the war. He later said he was going to write a book called "From Pit to Pulpit" but I don’t know if it ever materialised!
14) None of the Foundation stones ever had inscriptions.
19 The very first chapel keeper was "Pop" Hammond. He was very proud to carry the Bible and hymn book into the pulpit on a Sunday morning, signifying the imminent appearance of the preacher. He also stayed on the premises during night meetings and at the Fraternal. People used to get him involved in a game of dominoes, hoping that he would not see when 10 o’clock arrived (shutting up time!)
Joan Hardman
MORE ECHOES
At the beginning of the War, my husband worked for J. P. Smith – Fulwood Methodist Church’s very great benefactor.
I remember him fitting all the blackout panels, and one day, he picked out of his pocket, amongst the brass rings he was fitting, one which had diamonds on it! To his horror it was my engagement ring (which had become slack). We never knew how it found its way into his jacket pocket. I know my mother and myself had spent the whole of that day searching every available drawer and box including the dustbin!
J. P. Smith’s men also restored wood panels behind the organ.
Erecting the platforms for the anniversaries always seemed to be very complicated and again it used to be J P’s men to the rescue.
Evacuees came firstly to Fulwood Church to be distributed throughout Fulwood.
My mother took the last two: sisters 6 and 8 years, Roman Catholics. They had been returned by someone, as they were full of head lice! Being the stalwart lady she was, she cleaned them up and took them daily to school at the Little Sisters in Garstang Road.
We taught them to use a knife and fork and I don’t think they had ever seen a roast dinner. They came from a very poor part of Ancoats – Manchester). Mum fitted them out with shoes and clothes, she loved doing that. Their Mum took them back complete with cases of allsorts, after a couple of years.
Margaret Worrell
PS My son John says, "Arnold Hindley was a superb Scout Master."
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The mention of Neville Barron reminded Edith Richardson that he provided her father with a job at a time when he was out of work. At that time Edith attended the Barlow Street Mission and recalls Neville bringing the Fulwood Church’s drama group on a number of occasions to put on home-made productions such as "Harvest Home and Fulwood Manor"! The only charge for their services was the provision of a roast beef tea beforehand!"
Sue Penrith was one of Nora Robinson’s Brownies (the lady in the wheelchair) - and reports that Nora is the very first name on our Cradle Roll; she is still alive (and very lively!) and living locally in Sherwood Court.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
MORE ABOUT NORA ROBINSON from Enid Singleton
Nora will be 90 next birthday and is now in Sherwood Court Nursing Home. She was Brown Owl for many years. I remember her well. Nora was a victim of polio and ran the brownies from her wheelchair. We all admired her and never took advantage of her. She was an excellent brownie leader and always had interesting things to tell us and activities for us to do. She taught us French skipping and gave us a love of trees and wild flowers.
I was her church visitor. Over the years, Nora has told me that her father was the Food Controller for Preston during the 1914 - 18 War. He was on the committee for starting the building of Fulwood Methodist Church. He was a member originally of North Road Wesleyan Church (now the North Road Pentecostal Church). members from that church helped to form the first congregation at Fulwood and they held bazaars to raise funds.
Additions to
‘MORE ECHOES OF THE PAST’
Following on from Arnold Hindley’s ‘Do you remember’ article, may I add the following:-
1. Mrs. Hindley who took the Guides - we used to meet sometimes at her house in Methuen Avenue. John Hindley, Arnold’s brother.
2. Miss Emmett , Dorothy Arkwright, Ken Porter (he ran the Youth Club).
3. John Carter whose wife was a lovely singer. He was such a gentle and kind man.
4. Putting plays on in the hall, under the leadership of Ken Porter.
5. Nat Atherton, Jimmy Preston and the badminton club. Both Nat and Jimmy were ‘masters’ of table tennis and badminton.
6. John Sutcliffe, Mary Mitchell, David Martin and myself encouraged to lead services with Dorothy Fielding at local churches.
7. The two ‘top rooms’ where a ‘gang’ of us used to gather on a Friday evening.
It was very nostalgic reading Arnold’s memories of Fulwood Methodist. Mine, too, were very happy ones and Fulwood Methodist ‘life’ had a great influence on me. I am a member now of Cleveleys Park church in Cleveleys, where Geoffrey Warburton came.
Audrey Wilson (nee Kitchen)
Correction from last edition
Nora Robinson will be 92 in January, not 90. (Editor)
YET MORE ‘ECHOES OF THE PAST’
At the time, Ian Sumner (currently minister at Lytham’s Park Street Methodist church) was the first person from Fulwood to candidate for the Ministry in 50 years – encouraged by the late Rev. Ron Jobling.
George Nuttall – a late entry to the Ministry over 20 years ago (from Fulwood) – recently moved from Tottington, near Bury, to the Bristol area (Bristol North circuit to be exact).