IN THE YEAR 1885 Lancaster Road as we know it today did not exist. Instead, the area
consisted of fields and orchards and some elegant estates to which a thoroughfare
known as New Lane provided access. But Victorian enterprise was moving fast, and
in a few short years the district grew and developed. New streets and houses rapidly
came into being, bringing hundreds of families to live in the area with needs both
material and spiritual. Indeed, in 30 years the population jumped from 9,000 to 19,000
Fortunately, not far away in Chase Side, was Christ Church, an active and evangelically
minded congregation alive to the needs of the people who had come to live in what
was now to be called Lancaster Road. Even while house building was taking place,
missionary work had been started with open air services conducted by Dr J. J. Ridge,
a Mr J. Neville and several Christian friends. In particular a Sunday School was
started by Dr Ridge, supported by his son, Dr R. Leslie Ridge, which made a powerful
impact on the young people of the area. Later in 1888 this youth work received a
great boost by the founding and development of the 1st Enfield Company of the Boys
Brigade by the same two gentlemen.
The first building to be erected in the area by the good folk of Christ Church was
an "iron building" costing about £100, and in these rather primitive surroundings
the work of the mission went from strength to strength under the enthusiastic leadership
of Dr J. J. Ridge in collaboration with a committee appointed by Christ Church. Soon
this erection became too small and cramped for the numbers attending worship and
the youth activities.
Again the congregation of Christ Church set to work and a piece of ground was bought
at the corner of Browning Road and Lancaster Road on which a brick building was erected
and named Christ Church Hall Mission. It was opened and dedicated for public worship
in 1885, and now forms the main body of the present church.
The years that follow show a steady increase in the size of the congregation and
in the extent and scope of the work among young people and children. By the early
1900s, the mission was proving too small to provide accommodation for the varied
organisations and activities.
Once more Christ Church faced the challenge of Christian service, and the need for
new and larger premises was met when on a site in Armfield Road the "Institute" was
erected as a dual purpose building in which worship was held on Sundays and other
church activities went on during the week. This was completed and opened in 1909,
after which the church took the name Armfield Road Congregational Church. The original
building in Lancaster Road became known as the Old Hall. The move to the "Institute"
and the transfer of all worship and church activities there was never a completely
satisfactory arrangement, and as time went on the need for a separate church was
felt more and more.
During the ministry of the Rev W. F. Elmes, which covered the period of the First
World War and most of the Second, many important events happened in the life of the
congregation. Under his talented and far-sighted leadership the church reached the
decision to seek full status as a separate congregation from Christ Church and to
take responsibility for its own maintenance, witness and service. In the year 1917
this step, with all its onerous implications, was taken. At the same time a new building
scheme to place an entirely new church on land adjacent to the "Institute" was launched,
the cost being £7,000.
Alas, it was not to be. For nearly 20 years church members and friends worked to
raise the required amount, but only managed £1,750, no mean effort when one realises
that the years after the First World War and through to the hungry 1930s were years
of unemployment and poverty, low wages and industrial stagnation.
n 1937 the scheme had to be given up in favour of one less ambitious to extend and
reconstruct the original brick mission hall at the corner of Browning Road. The estimated
cost of this work was £2,800. Church members took new heart and the extra money was
raised with surprising speed. Our present church with its quiet simplicity and unpretentious
style was opened free of debt on May 21, 1938.
So now the church became Lancaster Road Congregational Church, ready to face a new
future and the challenge of a new age. In the following year the Second World War
broke out, bringing problems, testing's and heartbreaks to the very doors of the
congregation in unexpected and more terrible ways. In God's providence and mercy
the church buildings were spared, though 24 young men who had passed through our
BB Company and one church member died in the service of their country.
The post-war years saw the congregation taking up the reins of service once again,
and re-assessing the situation facing them. It is to their credit and faith that
soon numbers increased and organisations, old and new, began to flourish with a vigour
and enthusiasm which echoed those of the earliest days of the church. In spite of
added difficulties brought about by changing social conditions and attitudes, and
the decline in moral values and spiritual concern which characterise so much of modern
life in our land, the church has steadfastly held fast to its calling in Christ to
preach His Gospel not only by word but in deeds and practical service.
There has been an increasing awareness of the world around our doors and its needs,
and also of the fact that the church can offer an answer to these same needs. The
new ecumenical outlook slowly emerging in the various denominations of the Church
did not pass unheeded in Lancaster Road. Therefore, when in 1972 the Congregational
and Presbyterian churches brought years of prayerful negotiation and discussion to
a courageous conclusion to unite to create the United Reformed Church, our church
with equally prayerful foresight resolved to join. This union is the first major
breakthrough across denominational barriers in Britain since the Reformation, a tremendous
step towards reshaping the structure and life of the Church to meet modern conditions.
We are now Lancaster Road United Reformed Church, but our roots go back over a century
to the missionary zeal and enthusiasm of a few dedicated Christian men who saw in
our district a call and a challenge from Christ to witness for Him and serve Him
here.
Their prayers and labours have produced a rich harvest down the years. In our centenary
celebrations of 1985 we remember them, and the Christ who inspired them, with gratitude
and thanksgiving. But above all, may the occasion re-awaken in us, their spiritual
descendants, a like spirit of love for the Gospel and the courage to proclaim it
down the coming years in word and in action.
The above was taken from Lancaster Road United Reformed Church, Centenary Year Book,
published in 1985. Download our History booklet from the download page.
In January 2017 we installed a sink-unit, dish-washer and new cupboards in the room
at the back of the church. This will be used as a washing up point for functions
that take place in the church.