PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY
On 31 May 1804 a nonconformist chapel was
opened at Chigwell Row. (fn. 36)
The minister was a Mr.
Booth. Among the original
trustees were Joseph
Fletcher, shipbuilder of Shadwell Dock, and Isaac
Gould of Loughton. Henry Fletcher had bought
Clare Hall in 1801, and its name had been changed
to Chapel House. (fn. 37) The chapel was usually described
during the 19th century as Independent and supported
the Essex Congregational Union. In 1829 the minister
reported that his congregation numbered 200-50, of
whom 100 'may properly be called dissenters, according to our system'. (fn. 38) In 1831 the chapel opened a
school (see Schools). During the early 1840's, under
its minister the Revd. T. Hill, it made itself responsible
for the mission at Abridge (in Lambourne, q.v.). (fn. 39)
During the next ten years the Chigwell Row church
was in difficulties. (fn. 40) In 1857 the British School was
temporarily closed and the church itself barely survived. In the following year, however, the school was
reopened and the church was said to be reviving. (fn. 41)
The church experienced further difficulties during
the next few years, partly as the result of Anglican
opposition. (fn. 42) About 1866, however, it began to support a mission in Chigwell Road, which later developed
into a small church (see below). (fn. 43) The church at
Chigwell Row could usually afford to keep a minister
at this period. In or about 1882 it once again undertook to support the Abridge church. (fn. 44) In 1904 there
were 37 members, 80 Sunday school pupils, and 3
teachers. (fn. 45) In 1925 the numbers were 52, 53, and 10
respectively. (fn. 46) The society is now (1952) a United
Free Church with 80 members, 50 Sunday school
pupils, and 18 teachers. It has had a lay pastor since
1938. (fn. 47)
The church is a rectangular building of gault brick
with stone or cement dressings. If this is the original
building of 1804 the front must have been altered
during the second half of the 19th century. Beside it
is an iron building used as a schoolroom. This was
brought from Leytonstone in 1880. (fn. 48)
In 1866 the Essex Congregational Union was
making a small grant to help mission work in Chigwell. (fn. 49)
In the following year it was reported that a room in
Chigwell Road had been opened for worship and that
congregations numbered about 130. Services were
held by the Revd. F. Neller, of the Chigwell Row
Congregational Church. (fn. 50) In 1870 the mission was
flourishing, but the landlord had given the members
notice to quit. (fn. 51) About 1875 the Chigwell Road
society appears to have become associated with one at
Woodford Bridge: in that year they had a joint superintendent, E.W. Skinner. (fn. 52) From this time support
was being given by the Woodford Congregational
Church. (fn. 53)
In 1890 the two missions were united under the
superintendence of G. H. Giddins, minister of the
Ray Lodge Congregational Church, Woodford, which
church had itself been founded by the Woodford Congregational Church. (fn. 54) Land was bought in Smeaton
Road, Chigwell, near Woodford Bridge, and an iron
chapel was given by T. W. Orr. Financial support by
W. H. Brown enabled a resident missionary to be
retained from 1903 to 1932. (fn. 55) The chapel remained
under the care of the Woodford Congregational Church
when Ray Lodge became independent in 1930, and in
1947 became a branch of the Woodford Green United
Free Church, in which the Woodford Congregational
Church was merged. (fn. 56) There is a lay pastor at the
Smeaton Road church. The iron building was
damaged by enemy action during the Second World
War. (fn. 57)
The first nonconformist meetings at Buckhurst Hill
took place soon after the extension of the railway from
Woodford. In 1860 Mr. Gingell, of Hill Farm, Buckhurst Hill, a Baptist missioner at Epping, built two
cottages near his home. In one of them his daughters
opened a Sunday school. (fn. 58) About 1863 he built a
mission room in Alfred Road, where he and Noah
Heath held services, assisted by students from Spurgeon's College, London. (fn. 59) In 1864 the Woodford
Congregational Church started a Sunday school at
Buckhurst Hill. (fn. 60) Congregational services were
opened soon after this in a room next door to the 'Bald
Faced Stag' and also at the house of a Mr. Straker,
'Fairlands', Epping New Road. (fn. 61) In 1866 all the
above missions united to form the Buckhurst Hill Congregational Church. In that year a schoolroom was
opened in Palmerston Road, at a cost of £480 for the
land and £1,700 for the building. (fn. 62) About £1,500
was already promised by supporters of the new
church. (fn. 63) The church was at first associated with that
at Woodford, but in 1868 William Dorling came
to Buckhurst Hill as the first minister. (fn. 64) Three years
later he left the church after a disagreement with some
of the members and took part of the congregation with
him to form the King's Place Independent Church
(see below). In 1872 W. H. Charlesworth became
minister at Palmerston Road and in 1874 a new church
was built there at a cost of £6,000. (fn. 65) Charlesworth
remained until 1890. In 1904 there were 75 church
members, 80 Sunday school pupils, and 10 teachers. (fn. 66)
A new organ was installed in 1907 at a cost of £350
and in 1913 the schoolroom was enlarged. (fn. 67) In 1914
there were 100 members, 65 pupils, and 11 teachers. (fn. 68)
The church celebrated its jubilee in 1924 and a brief
history was compiled to mark the event. (fn. 69) In 1925
there were 117 members, 160 pupils, and 20 teachers. (fn. 70)
A mission station was opened at Roding Valley in 1948
and in 1952 the church had in all 164 members, 140
pupils, 18 teachers, and 2 lay preachers. The minister,
the Revd. N. F. Perry had been there since 1947. (fn. 71)
The church is an imposing stone building consisting
of nave, chancel (facing north), transepts, and south
tower with pinnacles. Behind it to the north is the
earlier schoolroom, of red brick with a slate roof.
In 1871 the Revd. W. Dorling seceded from
Palmerston Road and took some of the members with
him to form the King's Place Independent Church.
He was a man of strong character and advanced
thought, a powerful preacher and an able writer for
The Christian World. His resignation from Palmerston
Road was the result of a controversy that had arisen
within that church concerning the doctrine of the
'larger hope', of which Dorling was a strong advocate.
This doctrine was distasteful to part of his congregation,
which preferred that of eternal punishment. Among
his supporters, however, was a large and influential
section of the church. (fn. 72) These people acquired a site
at the other (east) end of Palmerston Road opposite
King's Place and there built an iron church which was
opened in October 1871. Dorling was appointed
'Pastor of the said chapel for life or until he should
voluntarily resign the . . . office'. (fn. 73) The King's Place
church was known locally as 'Mr. Dorling's church'.
It is remarkable that those who contributed to its
erection were largely those who had subscribed towards
the original building at Palmerston Road in 1866. (fn. 74)
Dorling remained pastor at King's Place for 35 years,
retiring in 1906. He died in 1912. (fn. 75) His congregation had in 1887 built a brick church on the site, apparently retaining the original iron church until 1900,
when they sold it to the Baptists. After Dorling's retirement the brick church was also sold to become the
Palmerston Road Baptist Church (see below). The
proceeds of the latter sale went to Cheshunt College,
where Dorling had been trained for the ministry. (fn. 76)
The Queen's Road Baptist Church, Buckhurst Hill,
was formed about 1861, when the Revd. H. Cousens
became minister. (fn. 77) In 1866 a church was built at a
cost of £1,200, with accommodation for 250. (fn. 78) In
1869 there were 37 members. (fn. 79) Cousens remained
until 1885, and was succeeded by the Revd. E. G.
Ince, who came from Australia. (fn. 80) Soon after 1890 the
church was closed. (fn. 81) It later became known as Buckhurst Hill Hall and was used for public meetings and
entertainments. It was enlarged in 1912. (fn. 82) It is now
used as a branch of the County Library. It is a small
red-brick building.
Soon after the closing of the Queen's Road Baptist
Church meetings were resumed by some of the members under the leadership of Noah Heath. They hired
Rigg's Retreat, Princes Road, from 1894 to 1897 and
in 1899 founded a church, with the Revd. J. R. Cox
as minister. (fn. 83) In 1902 an iron building was erected in
Princes Road. The church lost some members soon
after this to the Palmerston Road Baptist Church (see
below). (fn. 84) In 1906 Cox was succeeded by his son F. A.
Cox and in 1910 there were 55 members, 70 children
in the Sunday school, and 7 teachers. (fn. 85) By 1930 there
were only 25 members, 45 children, and 3 teachers. (fn. 86)
From 1924 to about 1933 F. A. Cox was again minister,
but the church appears to have closed about 1934. (fn. 87)
It stood near the west end of Princes Road on the north
side. (fn. 88)
The Baptist church, Palmerston Road, Buckhurst
Hill, was founded in 1900, when the iron building
that had been the original King's Place Congregational
Church was bought by the London Baptist Association. (fn. 89) Many early adherents came from the Princes
Road Baptist Church. A Baptist church was formally
constituted in 1909, taking over the brick building of
the King's Place Congregational Church, which had
closed in 1906. (fn. 90) By 1930 there were 56 members,
45 Sunday school pupils, and 13 teachers. (fn. 91) In 1951
there were 74 members, 87 pupils, and 16 teachers. (fn. 92)
For most of its history the church has supported a
minister.
The church is of red brick, in similar style to the
Methodist church (see below) which was built
two years earlier. Beside it is the earlier iron
church.
For a short time before 1827 there was a Wesleyan
Methodist congregation meeting at Chigwell. This
had certainly ceased by 1829. (fn. 93) This mission had
probably been carried on by members of the North
East London Circuit, which a few years later built a
small church at Abridge in Lambourne (q.v.).
No other reference has been found to Methodism in
Chigwell until 1878. In that year Edward Pope,
founder of the Loughton Methodist Church (q.v.),
bought land for £200 in Queen's Road, Buckhurst
Hill, upon which an iron church was erected. (fn. 94) In
1880 this was put in trust and included in the Wanstead
and Woodford Circuit. In 1886 a new brick church
was built to the design of Charles Bell of New Broad
Street, London, at a cost of £1,940. In 1898 new flooring was installed for £140. In February 1908 the
organ of the Palmerston Road Congregational Church
was bought for £95; the old organ was sold to the
Loughton Wesleyan Church for £45.
In 1910 it was decided to station a minister at Buckhurst Hill. A house was leased in 1917 and bought two
years later.
In 1928 the jubilee of the church was celebrated
by the building of the Jubilee Room, behind the schoolroom. This cost £580. In 1934 the Buckhurst Hill
minister was transferred to Loughton and a lay pastor,
Mr. G. J. Gaisford, was appointed to Buckhurst Hill.
This arrangement continued until 1937, when Mr.
Gaisford left. The church now (1953) shares a minister
with the Hermon Hill church at Wanstead. Its
membership is 90. The building is of red brick, in
Gothic style.
A new Methodist church was opened in Burrow
Road, on the Hainault estate in 1952. (fn. 95)
The present Salvation Army hall at the north end
of Alfred Road, Buckhurst Hill, is probably the building erected about 1863 by Mr. Gingell (see above,
Palmerston Road Congregational Church). The
Salvation Army has used it for at least 20 years. (fn. 96) It
is a small building of stock brick.
The Plymouth Brethren have a small hall in Queen's
Road, Buckhurst Hill; it is of stock brick and was built
in 1884. (fn. 97)
Princes Hall, Princes Road, Buckhurst Hill, has
been used for religious meetings since 1886 or earlier. (fn. 98)
It is a small red-brick building.