PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY.
The baptism or naming of fourteen Teddington children by
non-conforming ministers was entered in the parish
register between 1689 and 1711. (fn. 93) In 1753 John
Wesley visited a man at Teddington whom he described as 'an Israelite indeed', and preached at 'the
chapel'. (fn. 94) In 1766 there were said to be no dissenters
in the parish, but by 1810 there was a small Wesleyan
chapel and a Quaker meeting-house. (fn. 95) There appears
to be no later record of either of these, but in 1859
another Wesleyan chapel (now the Craig Hall) was
opened in Clarence Road, (fn. 96) possibly through the
missionary work of students from the Wesleyan
theological college at Richmond. It comprised 28
members in 1866, and in its early years used the
Anglican liturgy in its services. From 1876 a minister
of the circuit lived at Teddington. A new church, at
the corner of Hampton Road and Stanley Road, was
opened in 1879. The old one was used for a while by
the Baptists and now belongs to the borough council.
The congregation declined for some years after the
move, but revived in the nineties and reached 86
members in 1911, 145 in 1939, (fn. 97) and 184 in 1957. (fn. 98)
The church was bombed in the Second World War
and services were held in the Methodist Church
House (no. 8 Hampton Road) until the new church
was opened in 1952. (fn. 99) The old site was taken by the
county council for road-widening and the new church
stands a little farther west.
The founding of the Wesleyan church in 1859 was
apparently encouraged by some members of the
Established Church who were disturbed by the
'semi-popish teaching' of the vicar, Daniel Trinder.
Between 1861 and 1864 they tried to start a district
or proprietary chapel which would be outside his
jurisdiction. When this failed they erected an iron
chapel, and, after further negotiations with the
bishop and vicar had broken down, the leadership
of the congregation was given to John Sugden. (fn. 1) He
had come to Teddington in 1864 and remained the
minister of what became Christ Church for many
years, later being Coadjutor Bishop of the Reformed
Episcopal Church. (fn. 2) A later minister was Bishop
Primus of the Free Church of England. (fn. 3) The congregation grew rapidly in the first few years, a school
was opened in 1867, (fn. 4) and the present church in
Station Road in 1869. (fn. 5) The church has a nave and
aisles built of rustic stone in the Gothic style, with
a short brick chancel. A tower and spire were
planned but never built and there is a small wooden
bell-turret over the porch. (fn. 6) In 1953 the church had
108 members. Services are conducted according to a
slightly amended Book of Common Prayer, with
communion services twice a month. (fn. 7)
In 1877 a Baptist meeting was started in 'Bridge
Approach, Waldegrave Road', (fn. 8) but there appear to
have been Baptists in Teddington some years before
then. (fn. 9) The congregation met in the former Wesleyan
chapel in Clarence Road from 1880 to 1884 and
then in an iron building on the site of its later church
in Church Road. It had 17 members in 1884. The
permanent church was opened in 1895. It was a
large building in the Gothic style and was bombed in
1940. Services were held in the very large Sunday
schools (built 1908) until the new church was opened
in 1956. (fn. 10) The church had about 370 members in
1926 and 356 in 1957. (fn. 11)
The Baptist church was registered as Particular
Baptist in 1893, (fn. 12) and there seems to have been a
Strict Baptist congregation in Teddington at about
this time. It was in existence in 1886 when it was
apparently called the Cave of Adullam chapel. (fn. 13) In
1863 a bequest was made to the 'Peculiar or Calvinistic Baptists of Teddington', which, when the donor
died in 1887, led to a law-suit between the two
chapels. It had been settled by 1896, (fn. 14) and the Cave
of Adullam chapel does not seem to have survived
much longer. It may have been closed before 1896. (fn. 15)
The Salvation Army used the hall in Queens Road
now occupied by G. & E. Compton Ltd. from 1886
to 1914. (fn. 16) They then moved to Church Road where
they met at first in what is now their junior hall. The
senior hall behind was opened in 1934. In 1957 about
50-60 persons generally attended on Sunday evenings. (fn. 17)
According to an inscription on the building, the
Fulwell Mission Fellowship hall was opened in 1902
after eighteen years of gospel mission work had been
done in Fulwell Road. A resident minister was
appointed in 1957 and the fellowship then had nearly
twenty members. (fn. 18)
The hall of the London City Mission in Park Street
was in existence by 1894. (fn. 19) The mission gave it up
about 1919, as the neighbourhood was said not to
include the kind of people for whom the mission
provided. (fn. 20) It is now a factory.
A branch of the Brethren was established from
Kingston in 1930 in the Broad Street Hall. Between
20 and 50 persons generally attended the meetings in
1957. (fn. 21)
The former Wesleyan chapel in Clarence Street
was used by Jehovah's Witnesses between 1939 and
1941, when they moved to Wimbledon. (fn. 22)
The hall in Elmfield Avenue behind the Savoy
cinema was used from about 1941 to about 1947 by a
congregation of the Assemblies of God. After they
left the hall on receiving complaints from neighbours
about the singing, they met for a time at the corner
of the road. (fn. 23)