Waller Street Wesleyan Methodist Church Luton
A lithograph of the Wesleyan chapel in Waller Street about 1870
On 12th June 1861 25 lots of building ground between Bute Street and Barbers Lane were put up for auction, they had been the property of John Waller, now deceased. The lots had frontages to Bute Street, John Street and Waller Street. Lots 14, 15 and 16 formed a block bounded south by Cheapside, north by Barbers Lane, west by Waller Street and east by John Street. Lots 14 and 15 were purchased by Alfred Booles for £100. He also purchased “1 foot 6 inches more frontage at side of Lot 15 making altogether 45 feet 6 inches frontage” [MB806].
Waller Street Wesleyan Methodist church was built on these two lots. It was needed because the church at Chapel Street was too small for the growing numbers of Methodists in the town. Edwin Welch researched the history of registrations in Bedfordshire for Bedfordshire Historical Records Society Volume 75 Bedfordshire Chapels and Meeting Houses [published in 1996] and found that the chapel was registered on 6th May 1864 by James Little of Chapel Street, dissenting minister. It had cost £2,700 to build. The chapel formed part of the Luton Wesleyan Circuit. The chapel was registered for marriages on 21st May 1877. A new organ was also installed in that year.
In 1880 the Luton circuit was split into two and one of the circuits was named Waller Street Circuit, based at the church. Another new organ was installed in 1886 and in 1899 a tender to build a new block was accepted. During World War One the basement of the church was leased to the Post Office as a sorting office for mail [MB820].
In 1932 the Wesleyan Methodists came together with the Primitive and United Methodists to form The Methodist Church of Great Britain. At this time Luton had five circuits (two Wesleyan and three Primitive) and the following year these were reduced to two – Luton Circuit and the largely ex-Primitive High Town Circuit. Waller Street became part of the Luton Circuit.
By 1954 the numbers of Methodists in the centre of Luton were dwindling and thought was given to basing a Methodist industrial mission in Luton and the two chapels under consideration as its base were Chapel Street and Waller Street. In the event Chapel Street was chosen. It was then decided, by a vote of its members (fourteen in favour, four against and six undecided) and subsequently votes by the society meeting and the trustees (the latter quite a narrow margin) to close Waller Street. This happened speedily on 11th July [MB492]. The building was sold in to I. Newton in 1955 for £20,000 [MB492]. The site of the church is now beneath The Mall.
Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has the following records for Waller Street:
- MB1694: Impact! A history of Methodism in Luton: 1750-1962;
- MB806: sale catalogue of property in Waller Street and surrounding area marked with lots purchased by the church: 1861;
- MB807: solicitor’s account regarding conveyance: 1863;
- MB439: Sunday school minute book: 1867-1901;
- MB808: Trustees’ minute book: 1883-1904;
- MB813: Leaders’ Meeting minutes: 1898-1914;
- MB809: Trustees’ minute book: 1904-1926;
- MB824: postcard of the chapel: c. 1905;
- MB819: bazaar balance sheet: 1908;
- MB815: Sunday School minute book: 1915-1924;
- MB820: lease of basement as a post office sorting office: 1916;
- MB816: Society Steward’s analysis type cash account: 1923-1931;
- MB817: Society Steward’s analysis type cash account: 1926-1945;
- MB810: Trustees’ minute book: 1927-1950;
- MB812: Trust treasurer’s accounts: 1937-1955;
- MB814: Leaders’ Meeting minutes: 1944-1954;
- MB823: photographic copies of former church deeds: c. 1945;
- MB818: collection journal: 1945-1954;
- MB3059: programme for United Anglo-German service: 1947;
- MB811: Trustees’ minute book: 1950-1956
- MB492: correspondence on closure on the chapel: 1954-1956;
- MB821: solicitor’s account on completion of the chapel sale: 1955;
- MB822: acknowledgements by circuit chapels of gifts of £56/15/- each from former chapel account: 1957.