© Mount Road Baptist Chapel - 2007

The following is a copy of a newspaper cutting:-
By Hugh Beavens, Chairman of Hinckley and District Museum.
In the next half century the Baptists became prominent nonconformists with some notable ministers in
Hinckley. Mr W. Smith was the first recorded Baptist pastor in the town, taking up his post in 1773.
Henry James Francis described him as µa plain, blunt, yet ingenious preacher¶.

He always travelled on foot and lived in a small cottage. Through his efforts Baptist services were held in many surrounding villages, including Burbage, Bramcote, Burton Hastings and Wolvey.
The General Baptists, who had originated in Barton, saw another group of Particular Baptists start their
Chapel in the town. This Chapel was built in 1802 and was called the Ebenezer Chapel. It was later used by the Primitive Methodists, became surrounded by the Klinton Davis hosiery factory and was demolished in the 1980¶s.
By the beginning of the 19 th century the Baptist Church, just off Stockwell Head on Baptist Walk, had been constructed. It was completed in 1806 at a cost of £1,800. To this ministry came James Taylor in
1822. He left his mark on his congregation and the town by his sermons and conduct.
James Taylor had made a particular choice in coming to Hinckley. His stipend of only £40 was relatively small and he had turned down approaches from two other richer Baptist congregations that had offered higher salaries. The Rev Taylor enjoyed a private income but was known for his generosity, aiding framework knitters and even making bobbins for them himself.
Sermons from James Taylor give firm direction to his flock of believers. Remarkably, whilst preaching, he would often bind a black handkerchief about his head and also wear black gloves, which emphasised the gesticulations he made. One important aspect of his message related to the importance of honouring debt to others. It was said that when he was having his house constructed he would pay the building each and every night.
During his Hinckley ministry a number of resolutions were passed by the congregation, some of which appear a little unusual today. One resolution was the following ±
Fortunately James did not instil this principle in perpetuity in his Hinckley congregation!

Some of these early Anabaptists held extravagant views, but it is believed that there were some who advocated Scriptural Baptism and were sound in doctrine and practice. Baptists of this kind are to be found amongst those who suffered persecution during the reigns of the English Tudor
Queens, both Mary, who enforced popery, and Elizabeth, who insisted on conformity to the
English Prayer book. These persecutions caused many to make their escape to the Continent, where churches were formed in the Independent system. Some of these refugees who held
Baptist principles returned to this country in the times of the Stuart King, James I and Charles I and became the founders of the Baptist churches in England.
Baptist witness followed two streams, the stronger holding the doctrine of particular redemption constituted the Peculiar Baptists, and the Armenian section, which held the doctrine of ³General redemption´ gave rise to the General Baptists. Later on, the name Strict Baptists was introduced to denominate those who adhered to the church order of ³restricted Communion´, as opposed to
³open Communion´, which was being advocated by Robert Hall and others about 1816.
William Kiffin has been termed ³the Father of the Particular Baptists´ and indeed he was a notable figure amongst them, being a man not only of substance and influence, but also blessed with grace and with a call to the ministry, becoming eventually the pastor of the Particular
Baptist Church in Devonshire Square, London, which position he maintained for 61 years until his death in 1701.
Particular Baptist Churches were formed in other parts of the country. The Bedford
Church was formed in 1650 under the pastorate of John Gifford. Later in 1671, John Bunyan was called to be their minister, having joined the church under Mr Gifford¶s ministry.
The Great Meeting Chapel in Baines Lane, Bond Street, became the home of these Nonconformists. It was built in
1722.
After the death of Oliver Cromwell and the short succession of his son Richard, the monarchy was re-established in
1660 in the person of Charles II. The bishops were reinstated and soon the infamous Act of Uniformity followed in
1662 when over 2,000 ministers left their Church of England livings rather than submit themselves to a conformity which was against their consciences. Among the noble Nonconformists were some twenty-six or more Baptists.

Benjamin Keach, a notable Baptist minister was imprisoned several times for his nonconformity. The reign of popish King James II, who succeeded Charles II, came to a sordid end by his abdication in favour of William II and
Mary, who peacefully entered England from the Continent and, being zealous Protestants, granted a religious toleration in 1689.
The Rev John Jennings, M.A., of Kibworth was invited to come to Hinckley, where he opened an academy for training young men for the ministry ± a work for which he was well qualified. Among his pupils were several young men who afterwards distinguished themselves for their learning and usefulness and were an ornament to the
Dissenting ministry. Dr Philip Doddridge was one of the number; he succeeded Mr Jennings in the direction of the
Academy and always spoke of his tutor with the highest respect and veneration.
The first sermon Dr Doddridge ever preached was at Hinckley in July 1772.
Now permit a quote from John Nichols ³History of Leicestershire (Vol. 4´) ±
³About this time, says Mr Ammer, at Bedworth in Warwickshire, lived a stern awe-full minister of the Strictly
Calvanistic or Independent sort, by the name of Laurence Saunders. He had been imprisoned in the latter end of the reign of Charles II for his Nonconformity and had, of course, all that authority and weight amongst his own people which may easily be supposed to have attached in those days to such a character. The good man, in his prayer for the Christian church, seldom failed to mention those of his own strict Independent sort by name and one day, having learned that a few Hinckley people were come over, either from curiosity or because their own place was shut up that day, did not fail to improve the circumstances: - µMoreover Lord, six blind Presbyterians have come over from
Hinckley. Knock µem down, Lord! Knock µem down!´ This I rather mention, as it serves to show further, that these old Puritans were very little deserving, or even capable of showing the favours of the Court and Publick, however unjustifiable might be the severity of them.´
It seems that John Wesley visited the Midlands in June 1741, preaching at Melbourne and Markfield. Among his hearers were a number of people who figure in the early Baptist history. It is known that David Taylor, Samuel
Deacon, Joseph Donisthorpe, John Taylor and John Aldridge were influenced by this visit. They in turn introduced the Gospel message to Barton, holding meetings in the house of the Deacon family. There were subjected to considerable abuse and ridicule.

William Ault, a schoolmaster from London, was the first man to hold meetings in the Baptist connection. He moved to Barton in 1746. It appears that he opened a school at Barton as it was necessary for all those who contemplated a preaching commission to find means of sustenance by taking up other work.
In 1748 Mr Ault separated himself from Barton and took up his abode in Hinckley with the object of establishing a church in his own responsibility. It is known that he preached in Hinckley from 1747 ± 1752. He was a disciple of
Calvin and although moderate at the beginning, developed in due course into an Ultra-Calvinist, if not an
Antinomian. He introduced the practice of immersing his converts, which is thought to have induced the friends at
Barton to give consideration to the matter.
He was not successful in his attempts to maintain a church, his congregation dwindled away and when he left
Hinckley in 1752 he moved to Kegworth, where he introduced Antinomianism which was referred to as, µthe system of Mr Ault¶ . Later he preached in Sileby and Upper Broughton. He always professed to be a µGeneral Baptist¶ but interpreted this in his own peculiar way. He never returned to Hinckley, and on his death was buried in Long
Whatton churchyard where a stone, erected to his memory, bears a curious epitaph composed by him.
³William Ault, died August 4 th , 1779
Here lies the body of Williams Ault,
Some say he was without fault,
And others say that none had more
But he says µJesus paid my score¶.
So be they many or be they few
They¶re all forgiven and this is true.´
1766 is the date that is recorded as the time when the Baptist Church was established in Hinckley, although an attempt was made to form a church some 20 years before that time.
In the year 1768, a General Baptist meeting house was erected in Hinckley. It was referred to as the ³Top Meeting
House´ and was situated adjacent to the old burial ground in Wood Street. This was used as a Church for 21 years.
The old burial ground has given place to houses and is now known as Wood Street Close.
In 1794, a few people were meeting together for worship at a cottage, but desiring to form into a church, they sent for Mr Aston, the assistant pastor of Cow Lane Chapel, Coventry and asked him to baptise them and unite them in church fellowship, (Cow Lane Chapel had just been opened for worship and was the new venue of an old Baptist
Church where, in former days, the renowned John Brine has been pastor. The present and aged pastor, Mr John
Butterworth, was too old and feeble to journey to Hinckley to baptise.)
So for the purpose of forming the first Particular Baptist Church in Hinckley they obtained the loan of the General
Baptist Chapel in Wood Street, which had an outdoor baptistry in the graveyard and a well from which it was filled.
All arrangements having been made, the day was awaited with many exercises of heart and prayerful anticipation!
When it arrived, those who had the arrangements in hand made their way early to the Chapel to complete their preparations when, to their dismay, they discovered that some malicious persons had, during the night, filled both baptistry and well with filth. Providentially, the discovery was made in good time and the candidates and friends set to work to clear up the mess and obtain clear water from nearby pumps. By the time the minister arrived all was ready and that day eighteen persons, ten males and eight females, were baptised and formed into a church which began to meet for worship in Kemp¶s Yard, Bond Street. (Quite close to Mr Sellers, the Undertaker.) One of the ladies baptised was Elizabeth Marvin, who later became Williams Gadsby¶s wife.
After the church was formed and meeting in this barn, Williams Gadsby settled in Hinckley and transferred his membership from Cow Lane, Coventry and joined with them. As Mr Gadsby was such an honoured servant of God and so greatly used both in this district and other parts of the country, a small tribute to his memory will not be out of place at this juncture.

On January 3 rd , 1773, a ninth child was born into the family of a poor Warwickshire roadman ± John Gadsby. The child was named William. The cottage in Attleborough, near Nuneaton, where he was born has long since been demolished, but an interesting pen sketch may be seen in ³Jireh Particular Baptist Chapel, Attleborough.
Little is known of his early days, but we gather he was a typical lively little boy, full of mischief and frolic, running almost wild about the village, or nursing a younger child almost as soon as he could hold it in his arms.
At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to a ribbon weaver and ran to great lengths of sin. He was leader among his companions, entertaining them for hours together to their great amusement and delight, but:-
³The appointed time rolled apace,
Nor to propose but call by grace;
To change the heart, renew the will
And Turn the feet to Zion¶s hill.´
At about the age of seventeen the Lord began to work in William¶s heart.
The Independent Chapel at Bedworth was where he now began to attend. His mother soon had to warn that he would have to go without shoes as he was wearing out his only pair by constant travel there and back.
Eight miles away at Coventry, there was an old Particular Baptist cause, where in former days the renowned John
Brine had been pastor. At this time a new chapel had been built in Cow Lane. Through meeting the Assistant
Minister, who sometimes preached at Attleborough, William Gadsby was constrained to meet with these Coventry
Baptists. His attendance at the Chapel and prayer meetings was very regular and it was during one of his walks to this place that he made the prayer he so often spoke of, eight miles long! Yet he was never late for the seven o¶clock prayer meeting. Wet or dry, snow or wind, he was there every Lord¶s Day. Here he was baptised on December,
29 th , 1793, just before his twenty-first birthday.
Shortly afterwards, Gadsby became attached to a young woman about two years his senior. She was Elizabeth
Marvin, one of the eighteen candidates that had recently been baptised and formed the Particular Baptist Church at
Hinckley. When in 1940 Hinckley celebrated the 300 th Anniversary of the introduction of the stocking frame, the ³History of the Hosiery
± Hosier ± Preacher´ with a good photograph of µEbenezer¶ Chapel with the porch at the front.
Ebenezer Chapel ±
Demolished in October 1988
The Hinckley years form a most attractive part of William
Gadsby¶s life, for after settling at Hinckley he had his membership transferred from the Coventry church to the little group which met for worship in the small barn in Kemp¶s Yard, Bond Street. William soon proved a very useful member and though he was so illiterate that he could not read many verses in the Bible, his thoughts, sometimes expressed at the prayer meetings, was rich and deep. Very soon a larger place of meeting was required and a larger barn was found in Hogg Lane, now called Mansion Street.
On May, 16 th , 1796, Elizabeth Marvin and William Gadsby were married at 8.00am at Hinckley Parish Church and went to live in lodgings in Bond End, for they had no money to furnish a home with. There they lodged for about

five months, then took a cottage in the Golden Fleece Yard, (later known as Davenport¶s Yard) off Castle Street, where they remained for about seven years. Their daughters Rachel, Sarah and Phoebe were born in this cottage, for which they paid a rental of seven pounds per year. Here also he commenced his business on his own account and had four apprentices under him.
Entrance to the ³Golden Fleece´ Yard (Later known as
Davenport¶s Yard, between numbers 114 and 116 Castle
Street.
The new brickwork stores, which can be seen up the passage, have taken the place of the cottage where Mr and
Mrs Gadsby lived for about seven years.
After this his mind became very much exercised about the work of the ministry. Preach!! Gadsby was determined he never would. He prayed to die rather than preach ± ³Lord, send by whom Thou wilt send, but not by me´.
He even sat in his night shirt on the cellar steps trying to catch cold and die rather than preach. Then the Lord settled the matter. With divine authority and power the word was spoken ± ³But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty«« ´ 1 Corinthians 1: 27-29. This was enough! ³Well Lord´, was his prompt reply, ³if this is the way Thou workest, thou never had a better opportunity for Thou never hadst a bigger fool to deal with.´
When the friends met for prayer in the country places, Mr Gadsby, from the age of 21, frequently made a few remarks on various portions of Scripture and people were astonished at the powerful manner in which he expounded the Word of God. The first time Mr Gadsby stood up to take a text and preach was at Bedworth in the upper room in Millership¶s Yard ± it was on Whit-Sunday 1798. His text was 2 Peter 2 v 7. Zion Strict Baptist Chapel ± a few yards away ± was opened the same year.
From this time (1798) he used to travel about during the week taking his stockings to Leicester, Coventry and
Nuneaton markets, but his mind was so much occupied with the work of the ministry that he was unable to concentrate on stocking making. His wife one day held up a stocking and said, ³Look here, William! It¶s time that you either gave up preaching or weaving´, for he had made the clock in front of the stocking instead of at the side of the ankle!
The barn in Hogg Lane now became the scene of many of his labours. What trying days they were! Years later he said of his Hinckley days:- ³I preached to a number of poor people in an old barn and truly we had many precious visits from the Lord, which made the old barn a consecrated place to our souls. Notwith-standing the thatch was off in so many places of the roof that we could see the sky through the numerous holes, so that when it rained the people had to remove from one part to another during preaching to prevent getting wet through; and what was worse, we were too poor to get it repaired. An additional torment was that our enemies (who consisted chiefly of professors of religion) often broken our locks off and did us much mischief.´
One hole in the roof was just over the pulpit through which, at times, stones were thrown at Mr Gadsby while he preached. On one occasion the barn was broken into and the pulpit filled with stones and an attempt was made to sink it in a pond, but the stones came out and the pulpit floated. At last they said the devil was in it for ³they could neither sink the parson or his pulpit´.
The pulpit may still be seen at Luton, c/o Pastor B. A. Ramsbottom. Yet amidst all this opposition the Word had free course and was glorified; sinners were born again and blessed; the congregation grew so that this barn became too small and it was resolved to attempt the building of a chapel.

Eventually a chapel was built and Ebenezer Chapel in New
Buildings was opened in 1803, costing £800, including the land. By this time Mr Gadsby had prospered so much in the business of selling drapery and hosiery that he bought himself a piece of land close to Ebenezer Chapel and built himself a house. Some time after when he had left Hinckley and settled in Manchester, a disinterested but active tradesman observed that if Mr Gadsby had commenced business as an hosier in
Manchester, he believed he would have received a pound at least for every shilling he had received as a minister. But God had other work for him to do. When he left Hinckley he sold his house for £400 which enabled him to pay off a small mortgage and have a good sum to spare.
Interior of Ebenezer Chapel (showing Mr Gadsby¶s
Pulpit). Demolished in 1988.
Before µEbenezer¶ was opened, Mr Gadsby¶s plan was to preach three times each Lord¶s Day. When he preached at
Hinckley in the morning, he walked over to Desford and preached there in the afternoon and evening; when he preached at Desford in the morning he walked back to Hinckley and preached there in the afternoon and evening. A chapel was built for him at Desford in 1800 which has long since been demolished, but the burial ground ± kept in beautiful condition ± could be seen until recent years not far from the village church.
Before this arrangement of preaching at Desford, he preached alternate Lord¶s days at Bedworth and Hinckley for about twelve months, but gave up Bedworth on account of one of the deacons.
The average congregation at Ebenezer was eighty to a hundred persons, mostly extremely poor people. In order to meet the cost Mr Gadsby, as was the custom in those days, went around the country preaching in various places, seeking help from the friends towards the cost of the new Chapel. It was this quest which first took him to
Manchester where, in after years, he became such a useful minister, for it was not Hinckley, Desford or Bedworth, but Manchester where the Lord had ordained that most of his life should be spent and his preaching signally blessed. So at the age of thirty-two William
Gadsby left Hinckley to become pastor at Back Lane Chapel, Manchester, and now Rochdale Road. His farewell sermon was preached at Hinckley on
September 29 th , 1805, from the text ³The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen´.
What was it in William Gadsby¶s preaching that made such an impression on his contemporaries? Most certainly it was the divine power, unction and gracious authority that attended the Word he preached. J.C. Philpot felt that he was the greatest minister of his day, and there was lasting effect to his preaching, it was not just momentary impression. During his early years at
Manchester, between five and ten on an average were added to the church each month, year after year, many of whom were eminent in godliness. He was used of God in building 40 ± 50 churches in the North. He composed many hymns which are still sung and used by most Gospel standard Chapels and some of his choicest hymns can be found in ³Gospel Hymns´, ³Christian Hymns´ and
³Grace Hymns´ ± which are not only sung by Strict Baptists but also by other like- minded Evangelical Christians both at home and abroad.
In his labours he was untiring, preaching at home four times each week and usually three times elsewhere, going many miles by foot, often over the wild moors; and then besides his annual London visit, preaching in various distant parts of the country.

May it never be forgotten that as a background to his ministry he patiently endured one of the sorest of trials ± the dreadful mental affliction of his beloved wife. For well over twenty years, until his death, she was a continual trial, often plagued with a jealous spirit and constantly misunderstanding him. He had to prove in deep waters the precious truths that he preached.
If William Gadsby honoured the Lord in his life, the Lord honoured him in his triumphant death. He was able to preach on his last Sunday on earth, thus fulfilling a desire not to be laid aside for long. The text was Isaiah 43 v 2.
³When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.´
Just before the end, when he felt his voice was almost gone, he most solemnly and affectionately prayed for the church and for his family. Shortly afterwards he said ³ There is nothing too hard for Christ. He is the mightily God
± from everlasting to everlasting. He was precious. He is precious´ . Then raising his left hand he exclaimed,
³Victory! Victory! I shall soon be with Him for ever. Free grace, free grace,´ and fell asleep in Jesus on Saturday,
January 27 th , 1844. On the day of his funeral thousands lined the streets of Manchester to show their respect.
But what was he in his own eyes! ³Less than the least of all saints´ , he would say. It is very typical of Gadsby¶s religion and that of his friends, that when John Kershaw preached his funeral sermon before a crowded congregation, the text was ³Less than the least.´ Ephesians 3 v 8.

The above photograph was taken about 1950. (This barn was pointed out to the writer by the two sisters, Misses E.
C and M. E. Beardsmore, as being the barn in which Mr Gadsby preached, you will notice that the old thatch gave place to a roof of corrugated iron.
About the year 1955 an old lady, Mrs F Bates, who used to attend µZion¶, Trinity Lane, occasionally said her
Mother was a member of µProvidence¶ and that she could remember her taking a little stool with her to sit on, as they crammed them in fairly tightly in those days. She was also present when µZion¶ was opened!
Hinckley Town Hall (now Barclays Bank) which was built in 1806, became the venue of the above Chapel for their
Sunday School Anniversary Services, the Chapel being to small for these special occasions.
Mr Gadsby laboured so hard and succeeded so well, that before he left Hinckley in 1805; µEbenezer¶ Chapel was paid for, with the exception of one hundred pounds. This £100 however, proved to be the undoing of the place for, although this money was raised to clear off the debt, mainly through Mr Gadsby¶s instrumentality, it was misappropriated by a dishonest trustee. Dissension broke out amongst the members and congregation and a group broke away in 1808, and µZoar¶ Particular Baptist Chapel was built in Bond End in 1840.
Some years later µEbenezer¶ Chapel had to be sold as the people were not able to carry it on, in consequence of the misappropriation of the money named above. The remaining worshippers then returned to the barn in Hogg Lane, where improvements were made. We presume the Chapel was then called µProvidence Particular Baptist Chapel¶, as in the Records Office, New Walks, Leicester, the following information can be seen in the Ecclesiastical Returns for 1851:- ³Providence Particular Baptist Chapel, Mansion Street, erected 1850, with 60 sittings. In the morning
16 attended: afternoon 24 and in the evening 28. Signed John Starkey.´
It appears that in 1846 the Methodists secured the Chapel in New Buildings, made some improvements, including building a porch at the front in 1854, and occupied it until they erected a new place for worship some 38 years later.
After this the Chapel building stood empty until Messrs Davis and Sons acquired it, intending to demolish it and extend their factory. Immediately they were met with a difficulty! The Methodists, when they acquired the building, had created a new Trust and the Trustees were able to secure an injunction against the pulling down of the building.
The firm, therefore, after removing the porch, incorporated it in their surrounding buildings. The upstairs space served as a canteen and the rooms downstairs were used as storerooms for many years.
Eventually, larger premises were required, so the friends then purchased a Malt Kiln in Trinity Lane and had it altered into a Chapel. µZion Strict Baptist Chapel¶ was opened on March 25 th , 1886 by Pastor Wren (Bedford) and
Mr Dennet of Birmingham.

The friends from µZoar¶ Chapel must have joined in this venture for the old Church Roll book bears the inscription
µZoar Chapel 1840¶, which was crossed out and µZion Chapel 1886¶ written in the place of µZoar¶, with a footnote saying that ³ the Rules of the church are the same as the Rules and Articles of the Gospel Standard Society´.
Some measure of prosperity was enjoyed for a few years until a sad decline set in; an indication of the low state of
µZion¶ may be gathered from the amounts recorded of the collections each Sunday. The accounts book dated from
1923 ± 1937 record Sunday evening collections only, from which I deduce that there were no Sunday morning services from 1923 until about 1944.
During the year 1923, the mount in the collection box for three of the Sundays that year was one shilling, although the average evening collections amounted to four to five shillings per week and the ministers who came, mostly from Leicester, received 2/6d. In 1937 Mr W. Day and Mr J. Clarke were still receiving 2/6d for their remuneration and the collection each Sunday evening that year did not exceed 10/0d
When µZion¶ Chapel was built in 1996, £300 was borrowed from the Hinckley and Country Permanent Building
Society, and various amounts were paid off each year until 1911, when there was £25.8.1d owing (as shown in the
Pass Book.) It seems that the Church was unable to pay this amount back on demand and an appeal was made to
Stoke Golding for financial help in this matter. On September 16 th , 1917, at a Church Meeting at Stoke Golding, it was proposed and approved to remove the debt for Hinckley, until such times as they could pay it back without interest
.
The Exterior of µZion¶ Chapel ± taken about 1960.
We regret that there are no photographs of µEbenezer, µZoar¶ or µProvidence¶ left on record, although there is a good photo-sketch of the exterior of µEbenezer¶ Chapel in the book entitled ³Hinckley ± The cradle of the Hosiery Trade´ produced in 1940. (Chapter 9 ± page 53)
Many older people in Hinckley still remember Nurse Parker, CMB, (a midwife) who was a great worker for the
Chapel and a Sunday School teacher for over 50 years until 1931. The Sunday School work then finished for about nine years. Mary Parker went to be with Christ on August 18 th , 1932, aged 67 years.
Several ministers gathered for her funeral service and afterwards at No.14 Stockwell Head, where the future of
µZion¶ Chapel, Hinckley and the question of financial support to keep the Chapel open was discussed. It was decided to hold special services each year and a suitable Saturday in September was chosen. The first of these Services was held that same year, when Pastor S. Champion (Leicester µZion¶) preached in the after- noon and a number of ministers took part in a fraternal meeting in the evening. The Chapel was well filled for this and subsequent
Anniversary Services when friends from the three Chapels in Leicester, from Bedworth, Attleborough, Coventry,
Stoke Golding, Fleckney, Evington and Wigston supported. The fabric of the Chapel building was in a poor state at

this time (1932) and the Vestry ± which can be seen at the end of the Chapel in the photograph on page 14 ± was then disused and the windows all boarded up. Iron railings surrounded the small garden and front of the Chapel, but were confiscated to help the war effort and the brick wall was built instead.
A further Church meeting was held at Stoke Golding in October 1935 and a letter was read from the Church at
Hinckley regretting that they will still unable to pay back the loan. The Church at Stoke Golding then resolved that the debt should be cancelled with the provision that:- ³in the event of the Hinckley Chapel closing down, they should be paid back the amount out of the proceeds of the sale.´
Mr E. Chesterfield, who lived at Lutterworth for some years, also supplied the pulpit regularly until 1934; he was a well-known figure as he used to travel to and from Lutterworth on his three-wheel tricycle. Many thought he was the Minister-in-Charge, but in an official document for the Registry Office in 1911, he signs himself ± ³An
Attendant.´ He too had 2/6d for his expenses and remuneration!!
In 1926, Thomas Oakley, (a Solicitor from Attleborough) also one of the deacons at the Particular Baptist Chapel
(Jirah) and a Trustee for Hinckley Chapel, drew up a Church Constitution which was kept with the Trust Deeds.
For a few years the baptised Membership had been reduced to one old lady ± Mrs S. Everton and humanly speaking, the Chapel would have closed but for the loyalty and devotion of two sisters ± Misses E. C. and M. E. Beardsmore ± who had struggled for a few years to keep the doors open.
In the Spring of 1936, the Lord constrained two Exclusive Christian brethren and their wives, namely Mr & Mrs R.
E. Pallett and Mr & Mrs. Geo. Tipper, to attend on Sunday evenings. The same year the schoolroom and part of the front of the Chapel, near the pulpit, was damaged by fire and Services were held in the homes of the friends until it had been repaired.
After the Services had started again at the Chapel, the two Brethren requested the two sisters that a Service should be held during the week and, fearing that the Chapel responsibilities should be taken out of their hands and the
Chapel become an Exclusive Brethren Association, the two sisters made a trip over to Bedworth one Monday evening to seek the help of Mr Wilfred Bucknall to see if he would be willing to stay in Hinckley on Wednesday evenings and conduct a Prayer Meeting. (Mr Bucknall had been working in Hinckley since July 1933.)
As the Lord had laid Revelation 3:8 very powerfully on the writer¶s heart the previous day (³I know thy works; behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it««.´ consent was readily given and the Prayer and Bible Studies commenced on Wednesday evenings. These meetings were blessed of the Lord. Mr Walter Day
(Leicester) who often preached at Hinckley on Sunday evenings also came over and contributed to the Wednesday meetings, which were so blessed by the Lord that the two Beardsmore sisters were baptised in January 1938. Mr and Mrs Bucknall were married on February 26 th , 1938 and Mr Bucknall immediately transferred his membership from Bedworth. Thus the Church at µZion¶ Hinckley was reformed again with four members. That same year, on
Wednesday, November 2 nd , Mrs Slee, Mrs Ivy Booth (Mrs Slee¶s daughter) and Mrs Gladys Bucknall were baptised and joined the Church.
In 1940, although the war with Germany had started, after much prayer that the Lord would open the way to restart
Sunday school work at Trinity Lane, the Lord brought a Pentecostal Assembly family to live at Hinckley. Mr and
Mrs Stubbs had four children whom they wished to send to a Sunday school. As there was no Pentecostal
Association in Hinckley at that time, they started to attend µZion¶ and requested that the children might attend
Sunday school. Feeling this was a direct answer to prayer Mr and Mrs Bucknall re- started the Sunday school with four boys and four girls. (The same family that moved from Ashbourne, Derbyshire to Hinckley were the means of starting a Pentecostal Association Sunday school in Derbyshire.
In November 1940, the family of Mr and Mrs F. Barr moved to Hinckley from Highbury and their four daughters increased the number of scholars. The eldest daughter followed later and was a great help in the Sunday school; in
1942 she transferred her membership from Highbury to µZion¶.
(The Exclusive Brethren, mentioned earlier, left the Chapel in February 1938 and tried to get a Brethren meeting started over Butterfields meat shop in The Borough)

Samuel Hollows was baptised in 1941, he also became a great help in the Sunday school work, both teaching and preaching occasionally at the Chapel services. This seemed providential as Mr Bucknall had to be called away during the war (to Derby) for a period of about three years.
In 1941, having been exercised for some considerable time, Mr Bucknall felt the call to the ministry and commenced to preach occasionally, taking the Services at µZion¶ when there was no minister. The same year the first Sunday
School Anniversary with 14 children, was held. The Chapel was filled for that occasion. This caused the writer to wrestle with God, day and night for a whole week, for God to bring one in from the congregation. Mr H. Norris came in, and we discovered on visiting him that he had been in membership some 25 years previously, but left after some dispute and never entered the building again until that Sunday School Anniversary. He rejoined the Church and continued his membership until his death in 1952.
Interior of µZion¶ about 1950 (still using Gas lights!)
One of the first improvements to the Chapel was the decision to restore the Minister¶s Vestry. (The small part of the
Vestry door can just been seen on the left of the above picture.) This took place about 1941-42. Other work undertaken at the time included a new ceiling, re-glazing the windows etc., and cleaning up the room, which was used to take the senior scholars class and also for its intended use; but one Chapel Anniversary when Pastor Bourne was washing his hands, his foot went straight through the floor! (dry rot!!) Two of our older boys in the Sunday
School volunteered to come and rip up the rotten floor boards and in so doing, discovered a deep well of water underneath the floor, the dome of which had deteriorated, leaving a huge hole 1ft 6in in diameter. After a huge slab had sealed the hole we then made a concrete floor and tiled the same. The Chapel, as above, was heated by a combustion stove!! Many visitors, who sat near the stove, spoke of a very warm welcome !!
Sunday morning services were commenced about 1943-44, but there were only three or four for the first few years.
After contacting Multiple Sclerosis, Mrs Gladys Bucknall went to be with Christ on 5 th December 1945.
The young People¶s Fellowship was started about 1945 and later became affiliated in the Fellowship of Youth
(F.O.Y)
In 1947, when the work was moving very slowly indeed, the writer preached a series of sermons on ³Coming to
Christ´ from Luke 9 v 42, which resulted in four the Chapel friends asking for
Baptism. Mrs Shimeld was the first and my first experience of baptising.
Mrs King (one of the four candidates) remained a very faithful member until she moved down South to end her days.
1947 was also an eventful year in this respect; the Lord, having provided me with another suitable helpmeet, it was our desire to be married in the µZion¶

Chapel, which at that time was not registered for marriages. Amongst the requirements to do this one needed to obtain a specified number of signatures. To get the required number all the parents of the Sunday School children had to be visited to obtain the required number and on 4 th October 1947, Miss Gladys Barr and I were married by Mr
E Taylor of Derby. Mr W. A. Birkbeck of Leicester officiated at the organ.
The picture shows Mr Bucknall waiting at the Chapel for his bride, M iss Gladys Barr. Unfortunately we don¶t have a picture of the happy couple.)
We had our disappointments as well as encouragements and in 1949 we had a family settle at the Chapel holding strange views about some things which upset two of our oldest families and they subsequently left. Unfortunately, the new people did not stay too long and left the district. But in November 1952 Mr and Mrs Tom Newcombe came back to µZion¶ (having left in 1931 when the Sunday School closed down). Three of their children followed and in
1954 the eight Baptised believers joined the Church. This doubled our Church membership at that time and trebled our morning congregation, so that we began to have both Morning and Evening services in the Chapel.
It is worthy of mention that Walter and Ernest Pinches (who are still in membership with us at the time of writing), were among the Sunday school scholars when the Sunday school closed down in 1931. Both of our brethren can remember travelling to a Bedworth farm in/on Mr McCarney¶s horse-brake, for their Sunday school treat. David
Pinches, Stella and Walter¶s eldest son, became our Chapel organist when he was thirteen years of age, Baptised when he was 18, and became a Deacon at Mount Road in 1985 and still con- tinues to play the organ for us.
In 1954, under the leadership of Mr Reg Newcombe, we converted the cellar under the Chapel into a reasonable kitchen and lower Schoolroom, which served a very useful purpose for the Primary classes and the Fellowship of
Youth, also for the Chapel and Sunday school teas ± even small wedding receptions!
Lower Schoolroom at µZion¶ Chapel
Many happy times of fellowship were enjoyed with the London Strict Baptist Open Air Mission and those Saturday
Fellowship meetings and teas which we held quite regularly for many years. Quite a few friends can testify of being led to know the Lord as Saviour in that Lower School Room.
Reg also took out the back seats of the Chapel and made a Vestibule which served a very useful purpose for weddings etc.
The two sisters already mentioned ± Misses E.C. and M.E. Beardsmore resigned their membership in 1951 and later retired to Hastings.
The Women¶s Fellowship started in 1953 and served a useful purpose in the life of the Church. Mrs Gladys
Bucknall felt she must resign in 1973, owing to partial blindness, but continued to act as President. Mrs Hilda
Botterill then led the meeting and engaged the speakers.

The Women¶s Fellowship Outing, 1959.
(Two husbands also went by invitation!)
(Photo taken at Wedgewood, Barlaston, Staffs.)
At Easter, as the work at µZion¶ slowly began to move, we invited the Strict Baptist Open Air Mission from London and Pastor A.J. Wade to hold Open Air Services in various parts of the town, with special Services in the Chapel at the close of the day. This was continued at Easter 1956 when we obtained permission to use Hollycroft Park in the afternoon. The Salvation Army Band kindly came and led the singing and Rev Reg. Barnard (Baptist Church) gave the message. (Mr Barnard used to give us a weeknight occasionally and preached with much liberty in that small
Schoolroom.
Mr Thomas Newcombe ± Deacon 1958-1972.
Tom came to µZion¶ in November 1952. He joined in membership in
1953.
Mr Tom Newcombe and Mr Wilfred King were appointed Deacons in
1958 and served the Church well in this office. It was a great loss to the Church when Mr Newcombe, who had served the Church so faith- fully for 25 years, and occasionally preached for us and at other
Causes of Truth, left us in July 1972. He continued to worship at
µJireh¶, Attleborough when not out preaching.
It would be most difficult to mention all the members and friends who worked and witnessed so well over the years at µZion¶, so I beg to desist from doing so, but thank my God for every remembrance of such faithful workers, some of whom still continue unto this day.
From 1961±1967 we did not have a barren year; members were added each year, either by Baptism or by the Right-
Hand of Fellowship, but 1967-198 were the most fruitful years at µZion¶. Nearly every church meeting was taken up by friends giving their testimonies and once again the Church Membership doubled in those two years.
In 1965 Mr Bucknall was invited by the few Church Members to be the Pastor, but took the title of Minister-in-
Charge. Again on February 18 th , 1967 a unanimous invitation was given for him to be recognised as Pastor. The
Church Members agreed to give a small weekly remuneration, but as Mr Bucknall had agreed to become the Lay-
Pastor and continue his work at the factory, it was agreed to set aside a special Sunday when a collection could be

made to cover the travelling expenses for hospital visitation etc., Recognition Services were held that year in conjunction with the Chapel Anniversary Services. Pastor A. Stone came and preached from Revelation 3 v 8. (The last Sunday in October was chosen for the Pastor¶s love gift.)
The Sunday morning prayer meetings (before the Service) were started in 1969 and still continue to do so. Barbara Burrett joined us on March
25 th of that year and asked for prayer (and financial) support when needed, as she went out with the B. M. M. F to Afghanistan and then in
1970 to Bhutan.
The following is a copy of a
Newspaper cutting
Zion Pastor¶s
Recognition
Service
Throughout these years (1961-1967, we had a good sprinkling of Strict
Baptist Ministers who visited us occasionally, also brethren from
Birmingham Bible Institute. The Lord also brought into our midst brethren who became members and who preached occasionally so we were in a favoured position of receiving much help in the work of the ministry and feel very thankful to the Lord.
There was a great warmth of fellowship at µZion¶ which was mentioned by nearly all who visited, which contributed to the fact that the old Chapel was getting too small for us, as we could only seat 80-90 in comfort and we were sometimes having to bring in extra chairs in the aisles.
Zion Chapel anniversary and the recognition
Mr Pullen, who had first joined with us in 1947, and Dr B.S. Beards-worth were appointed Elders in 1970. day¶s proceedings began with a prayer meeting at 9.45am, after which the ladies
We praise God for all the Sunday School teachers and Bible Class leaders. In
December 1970 Mr Bucknall retired as the Superintendent and was presented with six volumes of Matthew Henry¶s Commentary bearing the following inscription-
³ Presented to
Pastor Wilfred Bucknall ± December 1970
To mark his retirement after 30 years of
Pastor W. Bucknall presided and the two deacons Messrs. W. King and T. Newcombe took part, each seeking God¶s blessing on the services. Pastor A Stone was the preacher at the afternoon services and based his remarks on Rev. 3:8. Pastor L. R. Garrard (Watford)
Loving, dedicated service as preached in the evening from Romans 1:16, and conducted the services on the following
Founder and Superintendent of the
Present Sunday School at
Zion Chapel, Trinity Lane, Hinckley´ day.
PRESENTATION
Mr Pullen (who for many years had been the Bible Class leader, then filled this post until Mr James Mee became the Superintendent. for this occasion.) After the tea Mrs W.
Mr L. Pullen: 1971 ± 1974
Mr James Mee: 1974 ± 1978
Bucknall was presented with a bouquet on behalf of the Women¶s Fellowship by Mrs
W. Pinchess and Mr T. Newcombe on behalf of the Church, presented the Pastor with a
Parker pen and a gift of stationary. Pastor
We were also very thankful to Mr and Mrs. M. A. Nash and Mr and Mrs M.
Stringer who opened their homes and commenced a branch Sunday School on the Hollycroft Estate. This work commenced on 24 th August, 1969. their appreciation of the presence of so many ministers and friends, also the letters of good wishes from those who could not be present.
Among those present at the services were
The Strict and Particular Baptist Midland Choirs Fellowship had its¶ beginnings in µZion¶, Hinckley and for 28 years many happy Choir gatherings were enjoyed. The messages from some of God¶s servants still remain with us as very precious memories. R. Illey (Wigson Fields). Other churches represented were Bedworth, Leiecester,
Evington, µJireh¶, Attleborough, Stoke
Golding, Wellingborough, Sleaford, Clayton
West, Yorkshire.
The singing of the doxology terminated a very wonderful day.

³And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years««.´ Deut. 8: 2
Before we bring the chapter to a close, it would be fitting to write a little concerning the ministry. Our first and earliest recollections of ministry at µZion¶ were when there were just the Sunday evening services. Ministers whose names appeared in ³The Christian Pathway´ directory were Mr Chesterfield (most Sundays); Jabez Clarke and his son Joseph Clarke, Mr Quilter, Mr Miller, Messrs G and E Underwood. Mr Walter Day started to come in 1930 and
Mr A. Howls in 1934 and continued quite frequently until 1947 when the writer was asked to take over the correspondence and be responsible for the pulpit. Students from Birmingham Bible Institute were invited to preach occasionally.
We then began to get fresh ministers occasionally ± Mr Whittall and Mr Granger from the Birmingham district. A.G.
Warren-Smith and Mr Champkins from Nottingham; Mr W. K. Waller (Derby) and Mr W. K. Purnam (London).
R.J. Newton (Wellingborough); Mr Brooks and Mr Clayton from Leicester; R.J. Cook from Watford used to make an annual visit. Pastor D. Oldham and F. F. Hyde (Evington and Leicester); John Manton, John Harris, Donald and
Peter Manson were also visiting ministers who were made welcome to our pulpit. Ray Simons (Fleckney) also came and by this time, i.e., the 1960¶s, the Fellowship was growing and evidences of the Lord¶s blessing were noticeable.
Mr A. Waghorn (a friend of Dr Beardsworth) came to us from London in 1961 and then annually until he went to be with Christ in May 1967.
Mr and Mrs Pullen came from the Christian Brethren at Nuneaton and joined with us in 1947, left in 1965 ± came back and rejoined in 1963(?) Leigh was an excellent Bible Class leader ± we sometimes had a Bible Class of over 20 on Sunday afternoons.
Dr and Mrs Beardsworth came from Westminster Chapel, London, to live in Hinckley in 1958 and came to µZion¶ in the 60¶s. Three of their eldest children can be seen in the Christmas Party photograph on page 20. After preaching for us occasionally for some time the Doctor joined us in Membership in 1968.
The Rev Paul Cook (Shepshed) preached for us occasionally and also took a series of Bible studies on a regular basis in the home of Dr and Mrs Beardsworth.
Brian Pemberton, who had been a Pastor at two churches in South Wales, came to Nuneaton to live in 1969; he visited different churches in Nuneaton and Bedworth ± where he was teaching ± to see where he could settle and came into µZion¶ one Sunday morning. The text was 1 Timothy 3:15. This settled the matter and he started bringing his three children to the Morning service and to afternoon Sunday School, while he went into the Bible Class. He also preached for us occasionally until 1974, when Mr Pemberton¶s parents came to live in Hinckley, they then all went to the General Baptist Chapel, later to Manor Court Road Baptist Chapel in Nuneaton, where he became fulltime minister in 1982.
During this time of growth numerically, i.e., 1965 ± 1975, the Lord brought those in our midst who were a great help in assisting with the ministry occasionally, so as we look back we thank God for their fellowship in the Gospel. Men whose names appear in the old engagement book of more recent years at µZion¶ were Mr T. Newcombe, Mr H.
Forman, Mr A. Hards, Mr B. Atkins, and Mr Murray Nash until Elders were appointed in 1970. When Mr Mike
Stringer joined us he too was a great help in the ministry, particularly while the new Church building was in progress.
During this time other brethren went out to minister the Word, i.e., M r R. Cotton and Mr J. Bevins, and later Mr. J.
Moore (who, at the present moment is doing an excellent job with Hinckley Torch Family (Mr. J. Moore became
Pastor at Burbage Congregational Church in 1993).
It is good to know that one of our old Sunday School scholars, Mr Mark Newcombe, has become assistant Pastor to
Pastor D. Steen at Fressingfield (see photograph on page 46) Also Tim Pullen who preaches occasionally at the
Hinckley Evangelical Church.

We also thank God for the Deacons who have served us in the past. Mr T. Newcombe and Mr W. King will long be remembered for the welcome and the courtesy visitors received as they were shown to their seats! In 1968, when the
Church Membership had nearly doubled, the writer thought there was a need for another Deacon, and so Mr Ray
Newcombe was appointed and served us for about three years. Brother Ray had always taken an interest in the fabric of the Church and was officially appointed to serve in this manner at Mount Road, along with Mr H. Crowter and Mr
R. Hayward.
In November 1972, James Mee, Richard Peberdy, Walter Pinchess, Michael Stringer and Fred C. Stock were appointed Deacons. On December 26 th 1973, our dear brother Wilfred King went to be with Christ and on 6 then appointed Deacons. Mr Fred C. Stock was appointed Treasurer on December 21 st , 1972. th August
1974 another dear brother, Richard Peberdy was called to his eternal rest. Mr H. Crowter and Mr B. Atkins were
Looking back upon the special Services in the old µZion¶ Chapel, the Anniversary Services and the Sunday School
Anniversary Services were great occasions and can still be remembered with pleasure. Pastors S. R. Hunt; L. W.
Faulkner, and P. F. L. Rowell drew good congregations from the Churches mentioned previously from 1933 onwards. Then in later years Pastor S. J. Wade and Pastor R. Stone¶s ministry can still be remembered by some, also their visits to the Sunday School Anniversary services when R. C. Smith, Joseph Hewitt and others preached to a full Chapel. But we shall always remember the visit of Dr Martin Lloyd Jones one Wednesday evening in 1966, when µZion¶ was packed to its utmost capacity! The Doctor was so animated by the last hymn (Wm
Gadsby¶s ³Immortal honours rest on Jesus¶ head´) that he asked the congre- gation to sing the last verse over again!
This choicest hymn of Wm. Gadsby was less known in Evangelical circles in those days, but was a great favourite amongst all Strict Baptists, being No. 667 in the Gadsby Selection of Hymns.
The Saturday Fellowship Meetings, which were held occasionally through the winter months, will also be remembered as such happy times of fellowship. Friendships were made as a result of meeting together for these special services and meetings, which in some cases developed into romances and ended in marriage.
The prayer meeting before the Sunday Morning service began in March 1969 and still continues to this day.
Junior Fellowship of Youth was started in 1959. Brother Ray Newcombe was the leader of a very virile work amongst that age group until we began to build Mount Road Chapel, then David Pinches became leader.
Singing the praises of God with heart and soul and voice! This also stirs the memory on reflection of the old days at
µZion¶. We thank God for those who used their talents to help and lead us in this respect.
In the early days of 1930-1951 Misses E. C. Beardsmore was the regular organists who, with her sister Marjory, were both blessed with good voices and filled the Chapel with the volume of their praise. After 1951 Mrs W. King and Mr
Bucknall sometimes officiated with Mrs E. Pye and Mr Bernard Harrison also helping, particularly on special occasions.
Amongst the Leicester friends that came over to our special Easter Services with the London Strict Baptist Open Air
Mission in 1955, was 17 year old Douglas Bowen, who that started to cycle over from Leicester each Sunday to play the organ. He became our Church organist for approximately four years (the Church paying his bus fare in the wintry weather). He was with us until he married and moved to Leeds. At this time David Pinchess, at the age of 13, began to play the organ regularly for us.
The following is a quote from the old Church Minute book for 22 nd March 1960
³Several members spoke with appreciation of the way that Master David Pinchess had been enabled to play the organ regularly for us during the Services and µhopes were expressed¶ that he would continue to do so.´ These
µ hopes that were expressed¶ have been graciously fulfilled, for David not only officiated at the wedding the following year of Christine Bucknall and James Mee, but has continued to do so up to the present time of writing!

By 1962, µZion¶, Hinckley was beginning to have a reputation for good, hearty singing ± for when the Apostolic
Church closed down that year, Mrs Angrave, one of the few members, asked the Pastor, (who was leaving) what she should do, where could she go to worship ?
He replied ³ I should try the Zion Chapel in Trinity Lane, for they can sing there! I don¶t know whether you will get much from the ministry, but you will enjoy the singing!´ Mrs Angrave was visited about this time when we were doing door-to-door work; she came and joined the Church Membership on 15 th
May 1962.
Inspired by the visit of the Southern Strict Baptist Open Air Mission, we endeavoured to take the Gospel to others in
Hinckley and on Sunday evenings after the Services we engaged ourselves in Tract distribution, door-to-door visitation and with visiting Sunnyside Hospital, the Cottage Hospital in Mount Road and Moat House, Burbage.
When we purchased a van for this work, we went further afield to Stoke Golding and Fleckney.
At the rear of the small schoolroom in Trinity Lane were some old stables belonging to Mr Garrett, who made a promise to give us the first offer if we ever thought of extending and enlarging our premises. By 1960, when we had
60 in the Sunday School and Bible Class, we approached Mr Garrett for the sale of the stables. After some conversation Mr Garrett said that although this portion of land had increased in value owing to its¶ central position in the town, if we built him a brick garage, he would give us the stables. This we were able to do and built for ourselves a double garage in which we kept the Midland Strict Baptist Open Air Mission Van.
Midlands Strict Baptist Open Air M ission Van

There has always been a prayerful and financial support of the Grace Baptist Mission, and many missionaries found and appreciated the welcome they received at Hinckley.
It was to Hinckley that Dr Ruth Harris wrote from South India, many years ago, suggesting we invited other Strict
Baptist Churches to meet together with us at µZion¶ for a Mission Rally. The response was most encouraging and the
Midland Missionary Rallies came into being.
Dr Ruth helping a sick baby, whose hair was matted with cow dung for temple god.
A Créche was started on Sunday mornings in 1967, when sometimes we had as many as ten babies or toddlers to cope with.

The Créche being held in µZion¶ Chapel yard, one fine Sunday. Circa 1971-72 with Miss Doris Boon in charge
Owing to the growth and blessing of an increased congregation, we felt the need of expansion and improvement of our old premises in Trinity Lane and invited our brother, Mr J. Cooke (Watford) to measure up the whole of our present site, i.e., the small garden down the side of the Chapel, the garages and store- room at the rear of the
Schoolroom and, if necessary, to pull down the whole building and re-build on the same site. But when Dr
Beardsworth, Mr R. J. Cooke and myself went for an interview with the Town Surveyor, he advised us not to apply to the County Planning for extending µZion¶ Chapel as we had no car park and it had been planned for years to widen
Trinity Lane which, when they did, would require quarter of our Chapel building being demolished. He then advised us to look for another site. After some helpful dis- cussion and hearing our desire to remain in a central position in the town if possible, he kindly informed us that 42 Mount Road (a large family house) was becoming vacant and suggested to us that we might think of purchasing the same (as the Council had already purchased. 43 Mount Road and were then in the process of making a car park next door to No. 41!
This challenge caused many errands to the Throne of Grace. How we begged the Lord ³to hedge up the way with thorns´, if it was not His will for us to move; also there were no covenant gifts being made then. January 1968 was the first time we had ever carried the balance into four figures, (1,356), as the cutting from the Christmas Newsletter will show.
December 1969
Motto for 1970
³ Let us rise up and build´ Nehemiah 2:18
As many of our interested friends are enquiring when we shall hope to start building our new premises, I thought I would try and write of the Lord¶s goodness to us in this matter.
In January 1968 we had a balance of £1,356, the first time we had carried a balance in four figures. In October of that year we felt led to purchase No. 41 Mount Road for a new
Chapel site and, through your generous giving we were able to pay £2,065 on the house, while borrowing £1,500 to complete the purchase.
The new site (including the 10ft strip of ground which is also paid for) has cost us £4,000 and although we owe the Strict Baptist Trust Corporation £900, we are thankful to report that we now have this amount in the bank.
We have applied to the Trust Corporation to increase this loan to £5,000, if possible, to enable us to ³arise and build´ , in the Spring, believing ³the God of heaven, He will prosper us´ Nehemiah 2:20.

The collections at this time averaged approximately just over £30 per week, so that some of us started coven-anting our gifts only to be disappointed with the following discovery. Mr Fred Stock, who was baptised with his dear wife
Audrey in 1969, was appointed Treasurer on 28 th February, 1973 (at a very crucial time in the history of the Church, when large sums of money had to be paid out and received for the new building,) who, in the following month made the following statement:-
Quote from the old Church Minute book:-
³Refund of Tax on Covenanted Gifts .
The Inland Revenue authorities have advised us that, owing to an omission in the wording of the Deeds of Covenant executed in 1970 and 1971, the Deeds are invalid and, therefore, no refund of Income Tax can be made in respect of these gifts. This means that the sum of £130 mentioned at the last meeting as being due from the Inland Revenue, will not be forthcoming.
This omission came to light when the claims for 1971/1972 were made in January 1973.
It will be necessary for those friends wishing to enter into a Deed of
Covenant to do so on 6 th April 1973. This will mean that no Income
Tax will be reclaimable for any period prior to this date so that we shall not receive any refund of Tax until 1974.´
The application for £5.000 to the Grace Baptist Trust Corporation was turned down as they had no money at that time, but the Lord provided another way. Small gifts of money came in from friends in the denomination. One brother (a deacon at Sleaford), loaned us
£500 (free of interest) and, after hearing of our position, made it a gift! But the main source of financial help came from the Trust of the late Mr Albert Waghorn, of which Dr Beardsworth was a

Trustee. Mr Waghorn used to love to preach for us on his annual visits to Dr and Mrs Beardsworth. His funeral service, which was conducted by Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones, was held in Westminster Chapel on 25 th May 1967.
Owing to the rise in the cost of building materials etc., we felt it was necessary to commence building as soon as possible, so in the early months of 1970 we began to clear the site. Then began the long arduous task of digging out the foundations (by hand). Permit a quote from the December 1970 Newsletter.
³Surely this year has been one of the most eventful years we have experienced in our history, for we have seen the walls of the school-rooms of our new Chapel rise, and by the time this Newsletter reaches you, the roof may be started on, or even completed. Next year, if the Lord will, we shall hope to start on the foundations and shell of the
Chapel building after Easter and proceed, in faith, as finance allows us´
The late Mr Albert Waghorn
Extract from Newsletter dated December 1970
As we desire to look upon God¶s gracious provision for this year we would first remind ourselves that since we began to employ the builders we have only lost one hour of building time (through rain) in the 20 Saturdays. (As most of you know we only employ the builders on Saturdays.) We are thankful for the builders with whom we have good co-operation and fellowship. We were in a desperate need of a Quantity Surveyor and the Lord sent one into our midst ±
Mr H. Crowter, to whom we are greatly indebted for the progress thus far. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking the band of helpers who rallied round and dug out the foundations and have been helping all the summer under the amiable leadership of our brother Mr Reg Newcombe, the site foreman.
More important still, we have been favoured with faithful ministry of the Word and can look back upon those times when we felt the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
We have felt led to appoint our brethren Mr L. Pullen and Dr B. S.
Beardsworth to the office of Eldership and hope that our brethren may be continually in your prayers.
After restarting the Sunday school in 1940 and giving 30 happy years of service as Superintendent, I felt the time had come to resign from this office to give me more time for pastoral work. Our dear brother Mr Pullen has consented to act as Superintendent protem.
I have been encouraging to see the congregation increase again as new friends have come into our midst. It has been our joy to welcome Mr and Mrs H. Crowter; Mr & Mrs W. Skelton; Mr &
Mrs A. Jordan; Dr & Mrs A. Roberts and their baby son, Stephen, another addition to our crèche.
To those who have come from other Fellowships we would say
³Kindred in Christ for His dear sake, A hearty welcome here receive, My we together now partake, the joy which only He can give´
It has been encouraging also to welcome the strangers who have come within our gates.
Another event which deserves special mention in this eventful year is the experience of saying Farewell to our first lady full-time
Christian worker. It is good to hear from our sister Barbara occasionally and, if any friends would like her Newsletter please contact Mrs Lloyd.
Junior F.O.Y continues to flourish under the new leadership of Mr
D. Pinches. Please remember David in your prayers in this respect, also the Senior F.O.Y that they too may be encouraged in their meetings. The Senior Citizens do appreciate their thoughtful gestures from time to time.
Extract from Christmas Letter 1971
As we look back upon this wonderful year and see again God¶s glorious provision for us, both with the weather enabling us to build on most Saturdays since we began, and to move your hearts to give so generously to the work, we are lost in wonder, love and praise!
The Thank-offering this year amounted to £239.20 but more important still we have been favoured with faithful ministry and at the present time the Elders are seeking to fulfil the desire expressed for more consecutive ministry. This means that there will not be so much itinerant ministry, and we would like to take this opportunity of expressing our thanks to brethren who have been such a help to us in past days. Looking back over the year we marvel how the
µfamily¶ has grown. We have been pleased to welcome Mr & Mrs
M. Stringer and family (members at Grafton Square. F. I. E. C
Church, Northampton); Mr J. McQueen (Earl Shilton); Cynthia,
Susan, Mavis and Christine; Mr & Mrs C. Stubbs and family
(Cedric was our first Sunday school scholar in 1940); Mr & Mrs J.
Moore and family (from Holbrooks Evangelical Church, Coventry;
Mr P. Hazelwood and Anne Knight. We miss Susan who is at Cliff
College, but pray she may know the Lord¶s presence, guidance and blessing. Our friends started to come to our Morning Services during the Spring as they have no Morning Service at Wykin
Methodist Church. Susan, Mavis and Christine were baptised at
Chesterfield on April 25 th and Cynthia had applied for baptism and was baptised here at Zion on 6 th June. This Service made such a deep impression and was so blessed to our Anglican friends who were already attending our mid-week services, that they seceded from the C of E and made Zion their spiritual home and were bap- tised on 31 st evening!
October, also Peter and Jim. What a memorable
Many of our friends kindly enquire when the new Chapel will be ready and how much do we need to finish this project. We hope, under God¶s blessing, to b e able to move into Mount Road in the
Autumn of 1973 and need approx. £10,000 to finish the interior.
We have £700 on loan from the Trust Corporation at present and approx. £1.200 from Chapel friends whom we hope to repay within three years.
Our present premises in Trinity Lane should prove to be an attracttive proposition to the right buyer, being in such a central position in the town, but in all these things our eyes are up unto the Lord.

It is with a feeling of deep thankfulness to God that we record His gracious provision and wonderful providence of God that we can look back in retrospect upon this remarkable year and say with the Psalmist,
³The Lord hath done great things for us´ . Ps. 126:3. Mr R. J. Cook
(Watford) was a great help in the pioneer work of this building project, who did the correspondence for us with the Council, and also took the building levels! However, owing to the distance, it was decided to invite the Rev P. Thornton (Fleckney) to be our Architect, who also left the district and moved down to Bournemouth, leaving us with a desperate need; but the Lord supplied our need in sending Mr H.
Crowter (who attended µRehoboth¶ Chapel, Coventry) to live in
Hinckley and who, with his dear wife Ruth, began to attend µZion¶ regularly.
The Lord also favoured us with good building weather, as we could only employ our builders on Saturday afternoons; yet we only lost one hour through rain during the twenty Saturdays in 1970. As building costs were rising we decided to press on and build the shell of the Chapel. This we were enabled to do and marvelled to see the roof on before the snow of that winter began to fall.
As many of our friends, both in Hinckley and in the denomination saw, or heard of the progress they kindly enquired when the new Chapel would be ready, and how much more money was required to complete the project. As seen from the extract from the Christmas Newsletter for 1971 (on Page 27) it was hoped that we would be able to move into Mount Road Chapel in the Autumn of 1973. This prediction, however, did not materialise through lack of helpers.
Although the building work in Mount Road restricted our open-air witness in the week we did, however, hold a
Children¶s Campaign in the Hollycroft Park during the August holidays, when over 100 children attended. We also continued our visits to Moat House, Sunnyside and Mount Road Hospitals on the Lord¶s Day evenings occasionally.
We praise God that the great Head of the Church was building also, Matthew 17:18, for we had five baptisms that year; Mr and Mrs Mike Stringer also moved from Northampton to Hinckley and Mr and Mrs John Moore from
Holbrooks in Coventry.
During the Spring of 1971, four dedicated workers from Wykin M ethodist Church began to attend on Sunday mornings as they did not have Morning service at Wykin. Susan Atkinson, Christine Townsend and Mavis Goode were baptised at Chesterfield on April 15 th , Cynthia Barnes was baptised at Zion on June 6 th . The Service made such a deep impression and was so blessed to two Anglican friends ± Mrs M. Newman and Mrs. S Gibson ± who were already attending our mid-week Services on Wednesday evenings, that they with-drew from the Church of England and made Zion their spiritual home. They were baptised on October 31 st . Jim McQueen and Peter Hazelwood were also baptised that same evening, although Peter did not apply for Church Membership at that juncture. We praise
God that Mavis is still with us in Membership and is doing a great work amongst the Juniors on Friday evenings and is also active in the Sunday school work.

th
th
Rev Eric J. and Mrs Alldritt
It is interesting to observe the regard we had begun to have in Rev E. J. Alldritt of Crowborough, who came and preached for us on 31 st October 1970.
Another small quote from our 1971 Newsletter, regarding that service:
³As our souls were so uplifted and edified by our brother¶s ministry, we have invited him to come and preach again for an Autumn Convention, September 27 th and 28 th September 1971.
Another name worthy of mention in that recent history is that of Brother John French (Stoke Golding) who, over 40 years ago, began to do our plumbing repairs at Trinity Lane, and put in many hours doing the plumbing of the new building, gratis! Brother Brian Newman and Brother James Mee taught themselves how to plaster and did the plastering which still remains good today.
1972 was a year of clouds and sunshine! Mr and Mrs S. Courtney resigned their membership on March 3 rd . In
August two families moved to Leeds.
In confirmation of what was stated regarding the date of the opening of the new Chapel, on page 27, this matter was brought up at a Church Meeting held on 24th May, and reads as follows:
³It is anticipated, if the Lord wills, that the building of the new Chapel will be completed by Autumn 1973 and the date of opening was suggested as Saturday, 22 nd August 1973. It was confirmed that Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones had been approached and had indicated his willingness and availability for the date stated.´
Our friends, Mr and Mrs Mike Stringer gave their testimonies at that meeting and upon requesting to join the Church, were accepted unanimously.
The Church passed through a painfully dark cloud during July and August, when Church discipline was felt necessary to be exercised, but the sun broke out again on 3 rd September after the Ordinance of the Lord¶s Supper, the members remained behind to hear the testimonies of Mr B. Newman and Mr P. Hazelwood who now desired to come into membership with us.
On 22 nd November, five brethren were appointed as Deacons:
Mr J. Mee; Mr R. Peberdy; Mr W. Pinches; Mr M. Stringer and Mr F. C. Stock
During the Winter of 1972 and 1973, the work on the new Chapel building began to slow down owing to the lack of consistent voluntary help. Quote from Church Minute book reads as follows:
Quarterly Church Meeting ± 23 rd May 1973:

³Progress report on new Church Building´
The members were asked to prayerfully consider the question of labour for the site. We have a lot of material to be used, had we the labour to use it. We have 30 men who regularly attend the Chapel, of whom 24 are members, and only 12 of them regularly help at the site, most of those who had previously said they would give time have kept to their undertaking to help in this way in the Lord¶s work, but some have not.
Unless more labour is forthcoming, we shall either have to call in outside contractors to finish the work, with their very high costs, or accept the fact that the work will go on for years, not months. The witness which had been made in the town, by the work of our members, would cease if we had to call in outside labour.
27 th June. A Special Church Meeting was called to discuss the finishing of the new schoolroom block to the point where it could be used, so that Zion Chapel could be vacated and sold. Dr Beardsworth explained that finance was urgently needed to complete the schoolrooms and that this matter had been discussed by the Elders and Deacons who had approved the suggestion that a bridging loan of £3,000 be obtained through the Bank, in the name of
Beardsworth, to be repaid out of the proceeds of the sale of the Trinity Lane building. After some discussion this suggestion was approved by the meeting. The meeting then closed in prayer.´
Quarterly Church Meeting ± 10 th October 1973
(Item 4) Sale of Trinity Lane Chapel and move to Mount Road
Dr Beardsworth reported that, on the advice of the Strict Baptist Trust Corporation, who were Trustees for the
Chapel, the sale of the Trinity Lane Chapel had been put in the hands of the Estate Agents ± Messrs Andrew and
Ashwell.
The Chapel had been advised to write, without delay, to the Hinckley Urban District Council for alternative planning permission for the Trinity Lane building.
It was anticipated that the move from Trinity Lane to the schoolroom in Mount Road would, if the Lord wills, take place in the Spring of 1974.
(Item 5) The opening of the new Chapel was fixed, if the Lord wills, for 26 th /27 th April 1975. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones would be the principal speaker, with Pastors A. J. Wade and A. Stone participating.
(Item 6 Pastor¶s Annual Love Gift
The Pastor stated that some members might consider that the circumstances, which existed when the practice of giving a love gift to the Pastor had been commenced, had now changed, and he said that if anyone felt they did not wish to give to the Pastor¶s Love Gift, then they should not do so. (Referred to on Page 19)
The Pastor also stated that if any member felt that the Church would benefit from a change from the Pastor¶s ministry, then they should approach either of the other two Elders.
(Item 7) Attendance at the Prayer Meetings.
The Pastor said that he was concerned at the poor attendance at the prayer meetings, both mid-week and Lord¶s Day morning. He desired to see more at these meetings and pointed out that prayer meetings were not just for members only, but for all and that young people should be encouraged to attend also.
The Pastor also said work on the building site would be discouraged on Wednesday evenings, except in urgent circumstances.
Special Church Meeting ± 17 th October 1973

An emergency meeting of the Church was called to bring to the notice of all members that the work was slowing down and gradually coming to a halt! There appeared, therefore, to be only two alternatives:-
1.
Employ a full time paid site foreman, who would need full supporting labour from the Chapel, or
2.
Endeavour to obtain contractors to finish the work.
Mr Reg Newcombe had been approached and was willing to become full-time paid site foreman, working for 40 hours per week. This arrangement would be for an initial period of three months, after which the position would be reviewed in the light of the support given to Reg. Extract from the Church Newsletter explains further:
ITEMS OF INTEREST
Once more we look upon another year and feel constrained to say ³ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together´.
Psalm 34:3
When are we moving into the new premises? How often we are asked this question! Soon, we hope! But having spent some £20,000 on the new project in Mount Road (of which nearly £10,000 has been kindly loaned), we have now exhausted all our funds and we are proceeding with the sale of our old premises in Trinity Lane to enable us to continue to finish the building. As the work has been proceeding very slowly, we have felt led to make a further venture of faith and ask Brother Reg Newcombe to work full-time on the new building, although this move in itself will not show the best results unless we have more of the three µCs¶: more Co-operation, Consultation and
Communication, in short, we must realise that we are in this µtogether¶ with God. (1 Cor. 3:9) (please read the second half of verse 8) let us then press on and ³ we ourselves µtogether¶ will build unto the Lord´ (Ezra 4:3) and if it should please the Lord to prosper us, we hope to move into the Sunday School block in the Spring.´
Mr Reg Newcombe gave up his employment and became full time site foreman until the Chapel was finished.
We feel the last ten months in the old Zion Chapel deserve mention before we turn to the new chapter in our history, for God¶s presence and blessing was felt again when the Holy Spirit moved in the hearts of friends to join us in the
Church fellowship.
On 16 th December Dr Alan and Mrs Miriam Roberts, and Harold and Ruth Crowter gave their testimonies. Harold was baptised on 30 th December. All four friends received the Right Hand of Fellowship at the Lord¶s Table on the
Lord¶s Day, 6 th January, 1974.
The baptistry was opened again four times during the last nine months at Zion. 10 th February (1); 31 st March (1); 23 rd
The last five were ex-Jehovah Witnesses (so called) 15 th September (4). Rev E. J. Alldritt, who was minister for that day also baptised his own daughter, Rachel.
30 th January 1974
Temporal matters relating to the old and new Chapel buildings.
Sale of Trinity Lane Building
The application for a change of use had been refused by the Hinckley Urban District Council on the grounds of insufficient parking space, but a further approach was now being made by Andrew and Ashwell as the Council were not aware of the garage facilities at the rear of the Chapel (which were purchased in case of extensions). It was, therefore, possible that the application would be successful for a warehouse or office purposes.
Mount Road Site

The Elders have asked Mr Reg Newcombe to continue as full time site foreman until the schoolrooms are finished.
Quarterly Church Meeting. 19 th June 1974
(Item 6). Financial position re New Building.
The Treasurer, Mr F. C. Stock, reported that the proceeds from the sale of the Trinity Lane Chapel should clear the overdraft at the Bank, repay the personal loans towards the end of 1974 and pay for the plastering(*) Mount Road building. This left the only outstanding loans of £5,100 to the Waghorn Trust and £600 to the Strict Baptist Trust
Corporation.
The total amount spent so far on the new building, including the house and strip of land, was £30,450.
(*) Mr B. Newman and Mr J. Mee plastered the schoolrooms and stairs to Upper School Room.)
As Mr Wilfred King and Mr Richard Peberdy had gone to be with Christ, which is far better, on the 4 th December
1974, Mr Brian Atkins and Mr Harold Crowter were appointed Deacons.
The last Service held at Zion Chapel was the Harvest Thanksgiving on 22 nd September. The preacher was Rev A.
Taylor of Wittlesea. So ended a chapter in our history at Zion with all its¶ sacred memories, especially those gracious visits from the Lord, which made us exclaim with Jacob ± ³ This is none other but the House of God´.
Even in the old days when were but µtwo or three¶; and those times later when we had the Chapel filled to capacity. Also those lovely weddings when the blessed Bridegroom (who graced the marriage of Cana in Galilee) was pleased to manifest
His presence and blessing at those Services and made them occasions which still linger in our memories as something special.
Three wedding Services took place: 27 th July: Sidney and Lily Vickers, 7th August: Alfred and Dorothy Lee and 7 th September: Michael and Joyce Greatwood.
There were also funeral Services which endear Zion Chapel to us as a sacred spot and the Baptisms, some of which still bring a smile as we remember them ± not forgetting the occasion when dear Mr Brooks fell in fully clothed, just before the Service!
The Evangelical Tract Society bought the old Chapel and continued their good work in Trinity Lane for a few years until the road was widened.
Zion Chapel was demolished in 1981.