Lewsey Friendship House Luton

Lewsey Friendship House in the 1960s

Lewsey Friendship House was at 444 Leagrave High Street. It was built in 1962 and was part of the Luton Circuit. A booklet entitled Impact! published in 1962 is a history of Methodism in Luton from 1750. it has a feature about the Friendship house which begins as follows: “The commencement of a new Church at Lewsey is an example of modern pioneering evangelism. Five years ago the Lewsey area consisted of one farmhouse, set in wide fields stretching across to the village of Houghton Regis. Then the private housing estates began to creep further up the Dunstable Road and beyond Lewsey Road. Then came the news that the London County Council proposed to build an overspill estate along Poynters Road, to house ten thousand people from London. A site was offered to the Luton Circuit on the Overspill estate. We accepted the challenge, and purchased the site, although we had no nucleus of members, nor any hint of how many existing Methodists or Free Churchmen would need our ministration. It was a venture of sheer evangelism; believing that wherever people are, there they need the Gospel which the Methodist Church was raised up to proclaim”.

A house-to-house visiting campaign commenced in April 1960 by Beech Hill Methodist church members and a Sunday school began in a local day school. In September 1961 Paul Cieka was appointed Home Mission minister for the Lewsey Estate. He quickly organised a Youth Club, Boys’ Brigade, Girls’ Life Brigade and Life Boy Team and the youth club membership quickly reached 150.

The Friendship House was described in Impact! as “a pioneer House-Church; the first of many which the Methodist Home Mission Department intends to erect in new towns where we start a Methodist Society from scratch”. The minister lived upstairs and the church met downstairs. In 1965 the Luton Circuit split into two circuits, north and south and the Friendship House formed part of the Luton South Circuit.

Sadly, the venture did not last more than fifteen years or so. Towards the end of the project the premises suffered a certain amount vandalism after a separate minister’s house was acquired in 1974. Nevertheless, a successful sale took place for £40,000, double the amount of the mortgage incurred to build it. The property became a Hindu community centre [MB1766].

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has the following records relating to the Lewsey Friendship House:

• MB562: Luton Three New Churches Fund folder: 1960-1965;
• MB461: Trustees’ minute book: 1961-1973;
• MB462: trust accounts: 1961-1962;
• MB464: finance and building of the Friendship House: 1961-1962;
• MB463: Baptism register: 1962-1977;
• MB465: architect’s final account: 1962-1963;
• MB466: licensing process as a place of worship and marriages: 1962-1966;
• MB2423: Leaders’ Meeting minute book: 1962-1972;
• MB2427: Disciples Roll: 1962-1967;
• MB1694: Impact! a history of Methodism in Luton: 1750-1962;
• MB467: architect’s papers: 1963-1968;
• MB2422: Trustees’ Treasurer’s account book: 1964-1975;
• MB2429: plan of church, hall and youth club: 1964-1968;
• MB468: bills of quantities for proposed church hall: 1965;
• MB1766: building of the church: 1965-1966;
• MB1766: programme for stone-laying ceremony: 1965;
• MB469: Building Fund No. 2 account book: 1965-1968;
• MB1765: correspondence regarding additions and improvements to the building: 1966;
• MB2425: Society Steward’s account book: 1966-1975;
• MB2861: Methodist Trust schedules: 1966-1979;
• MB2862: enquiries to be made annually at Trustees’ meetings after audit: 1966-1980;
• MB2428: Community Roll: c. 1970;
• MB2860: quinquennial inspection reports: 1971-1976;
• MB1765: correspondence regarding proposed disposal of premises: 1972-1974;
• MB2424: Leaders’ Meeting minute book continued as Church Council minute book: 1972-1977;
• MB1766: Trustees’ minutes: 1973-1974;
• MB1765: acquisition of 64 Torquay Drive as minister’s house: 1974;
• MB2421: Trustees’ minute book: 1974-1976;
• MB2426: church account book: 1975-1979;
• MB1766: sale of the church as a Hindu Community Centre: 1977-1978;
• MB1766: mortgage repayment: 1979-1984.