Our Heritage
Elmwood Avenue’s ancestral past began in 1869 with a group of evangelists and missioners within Warrington’s Town Mission Society. With the support of the benefactors Ziba Armitage and Samuel Rigby a small chapel was built in 1872 on the site of Cockhedge Cotton Mills at Brick Street in Warrington. However, in 1911 during the Edwardian period, it became clear that the premises were inadequate to cater for the numbers attending and a building fund was opened with the vision of a new church being built.
So in 1910, the Elmwood Avenue and Oakwood Avenue area was purchased with building work commencing in 1913. However, by 1931 the church had significantly grown and a second building was erected on the Oakwood Avenue side of the site, adjacent to the older “school” chapel. In 1935 Elmwood Avenue Congregational Church was granted independence to become self-governing from the historic arrangement by Wycliffe Church. In 1972, Elmwood Avenue celebrated the 100th anniversary of the church; the same year in which the church became United Reformed.
Where we are today
By 1993 the two deteriorating church buildings required demolition and so between 1993 and 1996 the church continued to meet in fellowship for Sunday worship in either the adjacent Oakwood Avenue School or in member’s houses. A significant memory for many is meeting on the demolished remains and rubble of the old buildings with a cross on Good Friday when the congregation shared the “good news” with neighbours in the community.
The church continued to grow and develop and as a result of this in 1995-6 the Mersey Synod proposed the redevelopment of the church site. A proportion of the land was offered to a housing developer in exchange for a new chapel-sized building on the Oakwood Avenue end of the site.
Recent Projects
The land adjacent to the building was transformed into a flagged garden in Spring 2007 as a result of a youth-led project; forming a central part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the new church building. This has since been used for several outdoor events inclusive of services, fetes and a children’s play area. A small memorial garden where ashes can be spread is well visited by family and friends and serves as a focal point for reflection.
In September 2019 we completed further development of the church building with the addition of a single storey extension providing a downstairs kitchen, which we hope will help us realise our mission objectives within the local area by provided a more amenable and accessible space to run community based activities.
Sign Up For Free
Already have an account? Login Here
Sign Up With FacebookOR
By signing up you agree to Terms of Service