Trinity Methodist Church North Street

Trinity Methodist Church, June 2008

The Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists united in 1932 to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain. In 1960 the old Wesleyan Atterbury Mission Hall and the old Wesleyan chapel in Hockliffe Street closed and Methodism in Leighton Buzzard concentrated on the former Primitive Methodist chapel in North Street which was renamed Trinity Church.

Bedfordshire Archives has a booklet celebrating the silver jubilee of Trinity Church [ref: MB2/LB4/10/2157]. The move to decant three congregations, from separate traditions of worship, into one chapel was controversial but was rendered necessary by the decision to build a new road through the former Wesleyan manse in Hockliffe Street and reduce the size of the chapel site.

In 1965 the adjoining manse was demolished and the church hall built on the site at a cost of £21,000. The partial antecedents of the church are recollected by two rooms on the first floor called the Wesley and Atterbury Rooms and the hall was opened in 1966. At the same time a new vestry was built onto the church and the church improved with the addition of new pews and other minor alterations.

 
Rear of Trinity Methodist church, June 2008

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives: 

• MB2/LB4/2/3221-3224: Minutes, 1953-1981
• MB2/LB4/2/2152: Church Council minute book, 1973-1985
• MB2/LB4/4/2154: Draft Cradle Roll: 1956-1980;
• MB2/LB4/4/2155: Cradle Roll: 1956-1985;
• MB2/LB4/16/245-249: Pulpit notices: 1959-1971;
• MB2/LB4/6/3239-3243: Correspondence relating to property, 1961-1967
• MB2/LB4/7/2156: Sunday School attendances, names and dates of birth: 1961-1973;
• MB2/LB4/3/2149-2150: Collection Journals: 1963-1985;
• MB2/LB4/3/2151: Church account book: 1965-1986;
• MB2/LB4/5/3225: Order of service for the opening of the new hall of the Methodist Church, 1966
• MB2/LB4/10/2153: Sunday School account book: 1969-1986
• MB2/LB4/10/3237-3238: Cash book - collection records, 1971-1983
• MB2/LB4/10/2152: Church Council minute book: 1973-1984
• MB2/LB4/12/3467-3469: Minutes of World Mission and Neighbourhood Committee, 1983-2000
• MB2/LB4/8/3441-3453: Regnal League - minutes of Leighton Buzzard Adult Mixed Circle, 1983-2001
• MB2/LB4/10/2157: Trinity 25 Years booklet celebrating the joining of North Street, Hockliffe Street and Atterbury Hall in 1960: 1985
• MB2/LB4/6/3262: Fire inspection reports, 1985-1986
• MB2/LB4/6/3255-3256: Property Committee Minutes, 1986-1995
• MB2/LB4/7/3267-3268: Minutes of junior church meeting, 1987-1995
• MB2/LB4/6/3432-3438: Minutes of the Property Committee, 1990-2003
• MB2/LB4/2/2158: Class Leaders' and Pastoral Visitors' minute book: 1986-1992
• MB2/LB4/3/3428-3430: Minutes of Finance Committee, 1990-1997
• MB2/LB4/5/3431: Service sheet, 1992
• MB2/LB4/2/3427: Minutes of the Family Committee, 1997-2000
• MB2/LB4/8/3460-3462: Circle Magazine of the Regnal League, 2003-