North Street Primitive Methodist Church

North Street showing the Methodist Church about 1900 [Z1306/72]

The Primitive Methodist chapel in North Street was built in 1889, at a cost of £2,340, to replace the previous chapel in Mill Road, which had been destroyed by fire in 1888. The North Street chapel was registered on 20th May 1890 by George Mitchell of Leighton Buzzard, minister and registered for marriages on 5th July that year. Registration bought the benefit of exemption from parish poor rates, exemption from control by the Charity Commission and the right to be licensed to carry out marriages. The Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists united in 1932 to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain.

In 1961 the decision was taken to sell North Street and concentrate methodist worship at the Hockliffe Street church [MB3204/2/11]. In the end, however, Methodism in Leighton Buzzard concentrated at North Street. A new Sunday School building was constructed at North Street in 1966 [MB3204/2/15].

In 1965 proposals were made to alter the church at North Street to accommodate more worshippers [MB3204/2/18]. The organ was removed from Hockliffe Street to North Street [MB3204/2/19] and the new church was opened on 3rd September 1966 [MB3204/2/21] though difficulties were experienced in paying for the work [MB3204/2/22]. Alterations were carried out in 1976 [MB3204/8-10] including new classrooms and an ante-room. repairs were undertaken in the 1980s [MB3204/2/35] and 1990s [MB3204/2/31-32].

Sources

• MB250: Sunday School minute book: 1866-1898;
• MB242: Primitive Trustees minute book: 1869-1896;
• MB244: Old leaders meeting minute book: 1875-1902;
• MB1537: Circuit property register, including North Street: 1889-1972;
• MB223: Subscriptions for American organ from Stanbridge: 1913;
• MB251: Sunday School account book: 1914-1922;
• MB261: Collection Journal: 1931-1939;
• MB3204/2/1: trust minute book: 1960-1977;
• MB3204/2/11-12: plans to sell North Street church: 1961-1963;
• MB3204/2/13-22: improvements to the church: 1964-1967;
• MB3204/2/3: trust accounts: 1965-1976;
• MB3204/2/4: appointment of new trustees: 1967;
• MB3204/2/24: contributuon to the building fund by H. A. Rolls and Partners: 1967;
• MB3204/2/25: new gas boiler and pump: 1968;
• MB3204/2/26: John Frederick Stephens legacy: 1970;
• MB3204/2/5-6: Elizabeth Sarah Ross legacy: 1971;
• MB3204/2/2: Minutes of special trustees' meeting: 1976;
• MB3204/2/8-10: alterations to be carried out: 1976;
• MB3204/2/33: property accounts: 1980-1983;
• MB3204/2/34: Church Council minutes: 1980-1981;
• MB3204/2/36: Property Committee correspondence: 1980-1985;
• MB3204/2/41: Property Committee correspondence - complaints: 1980-1986;
• MB3204/2/35: repairs: 1980-1986;
• MN3204/2/42: Property and Finance Committee membership: 1981-1984;
• MB3204/2/28-29: Property Committee minutes: 1986-1995;
• MB3204/2/27: Methodist Trust Schedule A: c. 1988;
• MB3204/2/31-32: property checklist and list of work to be undertaken: 1997-1998.