History of the Ware Road Buildings
 

The history of our buildings on Ware Road was told in a booklet that was published to mark the rebuilding of the Chapel in 1963.......
 

These were the third Methodist buildings in Hertford, the two earlier sites being in Railway Street.

The first one was in a yard directly opposite the Friends’ Meeting House and the second on the North West corner of Market Street.

The central rostrum and the pews were removed and were replaced by a side pulpit, a central Communion area with a new Table and Rail, and ecclesiastical chairs.

A modern hot-water radiator system replaced the old Tortoise stoves.

The total cost of these alterations exceeded that of the original buildings.

Little further change took place before the premises were demolished in 1962.

1932
&
1944

In 1958 the Trustees decided to explore the possibility of rebuilding and sought the advice of the Rev. Dr. Irvonwy Morgan, General Secretary of the London Mission Fund.

In February of that year Dr. Morgan inspected the premises and agreed that rebuilding offered the only satisfactory solution to the problem. He also promised his full support and it was only the financial help which he was able to provide from monies received as War Damage Compensation in respect of Methodist Churches in other parts of the Greater London Area that made re-building possible.

Generous help was also provided by the Joseph Rank Benevolent Fund and by the Chapel Committee.

Having decided to re-build, the Trustees next had to find a suitable site. Despite the acquisition of adjoining land in 1932 and 1944 the frontage on Ware Road was still only 45 feet, and the total land available was inadequate.

A year was spent in persistent efforts to find an alternative site elsewhere, but without success. Then it was noticed that an adjoining house, No. 13, was being allowed to fall into disrepair, and the owners, Enfield Highway Go-operative Society were asked if they would be willing to sell. This they agreed to do for £1,125 and some 2,700 square feet were added to the original area available, with 27 feet of extra frontage on Ware Road.

The site was now adequate although still restricted especially in respect of car parking.

Toward this sum,

• £12,275 was received from War Damage Compensation,
• ~£7,000 from the Joseph Rank Benevolent Fund,
• and £2,000 from the Chapel Committee,
• leaving £10,725 to be raised by the local Church.

The whole of this cost was paid within a year of the Opening and Dedication of the New Church.

These ceremonies were carried out on Saturday, 9th November, 1963, by the Rev. and Mrs. Hubert J. Martin. Mr. Martin was minister in charge of the Hertford Church 1940-45.

This is no more than a very brief outline of Hertford Methodism's re- building project, but a number of factors contributed to the final success of the scheme and these may be specially noted.
 

Financially, perhaps the most important factor dates back to 1928 when the Rev. Thomas Ewbank was Superintendent Minister and the Rev. C. Ensor Waiters was General Secretary of the London Mission and Extension Fund, as it was then known.

These two ministers were old friends and, when the 1929 improvement scheme was being discussed, Mr. Ewbank was able to persuade Mr. Waiters to extend the boundary line around the area within which grants could be made from the Fund, of which the latter was General Secretary, to local Churches for special purposes.

The financial help thus made available made the 1929 scheme a practical proposition and, because of that same boundary change, Hertford qualified for a share of War damage Compensation.

It is also important to note that the Church was rebuilt during the very limited period, less than 20 years, during which this compensation was being paid.

Generous offers of help came from other Churches in the town, but next to No. 13, Ware Road, that is to say adjoining the site of the new Church, stands the Pioneer Hall. This was built as the Parish Hall for All Saints Church but had been sold to the Co-operative Society who readily agreed to its use for worship during the critical period. Weekday activities were carried on in the homes of Church members.

When it was decided, in 1958, to rebuild, the Church membership was 94. By the time of the opening of the new Church this figure had risen to 103 which is believed to be the highest membership return in the history of Methodism in Hertford up to that time.

In 1958 total reserve funds amounted to little more than £800. By the time re-building started in 1962 the sum had been raised by the local Church to more than £7,000.

The next phase was to consider the replacement of the pews with suitable chairs.  This process began in February 2001.  Consideration had to be given to the state of the floor.

The introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act encouraged us to have the premises audited. 

It was decided, in February 2002, to order the chairs and that the floor would be sanded, sealed and polished before the new chairs arrived.

June 2002 saw the arrival of the chairs and the completion of the internal refurbishment of the sanctuary area.

2006

With this completed in the Autumn of 2006 attention could now be given to the next phase of development - the Insight Project.