History of St Andrew's Methodist Church in South Ham

The South Ham estate was in the throes of a massive extension in the mid-1950s, and with so many homes being built, it was essential that the community had all the necessary services, including churches of all denominations.

The Methodist group originally began with a Sunday School in late 1954, then an adult group met in September 1955 at a house in St Patrick’s Road.

Then land on the corner of Western Way and Pinkerton Road was purchased for the building of a hall, which would offer a more permanent place of worship. This was opened on St Andrew’s Day, November 30, 1955.

It was officially opened by the deaconess, Sister Joan Miller, on January 14, 1956.

In the autumn of 1961, a youth club was established for the many youngsters who were growing up on the estate.

Other organisations were formed in the church hall, and when the Rev William Murphy was appointed as minister in September 1962, further groups, such as the Boys’ Brigade, Girls’ Life Brigade, Mothers’ and Toddlers’ Club, and the Good Companions’ Club (for elderly people) were established.

Meanwhile, funds were raised to build a church which would be attached to the hall. This was completed by early 1965, at a cost of £30,400.

It was dedicated on March 20 that year, in a ceremony performed by MP George Thomas, with the preacher being the Rev Dr Frederic Greeves, ex-president of the Methodist Conference.

The Rank Trust provided some 80 per cent of the money towards the cost of the construction of the new church, while the rest was raised by members of the Methodist group.

In 1966, the church received an electric organ from Cliddesden church. Dating back to 1879, it was previously used as an ordinary organ when it was in use at a Methodist Chapel in Church Street, Basingstoke, before being moved to Cliddesden in 1904, when the church was erected brick by brick in the village.

The organ was later modernised and presented to St Andrew’s Church.

Methodism first arrived in Basingstoke with the preachings of John Wesley, who came to the town several times in the 18th century.

His constant preaching and untiring work across the country revolutionised the religious life of England.

He was originally a Church of England clergyman, but his open-air services with messages of salvation became unacceptable to that church, so he reluctantly formed his own organisation, the Methodists.

After Wesley’s death in 1791, there were various disagreements among his followers, and there arose several different branches such as Wesleyans, Primitives, Bible Christians and others.

However, at a London conference in 1932, all were reunited into one Methodist Church.

In Basingstoke, the Primitive Methodists came to town in the form of Mr Edward Bishop in 1833, when he preached in the open in the Reading Road area, known as Totterdown, to anyone who would listen to his messages.

Some people opposed this style of service, so he acquired permission to preach in a small timberyard until 1847, gaining the support of many listeners.

Through this achievement, the Primitive Methodists built a small chapel in Flaxfield Road, near New Street, which was extended in 1863 and 1881. By this time, the chapel had a resident minister.

In 1902, a new Primitive Methodist Church was built at the top of Sarum Hill. The old one was sold to Mr and Mrs Dellafera, who later acquired other premises in the upper Flaxfield Road area.

This chapel was sold as a place for bingo, a night club, a bookmaker’s and flower shop, and is in existence today.

The Wesleyan Church in Basingstoke was in lower Church Street.

The original was built in 1875, then moved to Cliddesden 29 years later.

A larger church erected on the same site in 1905 was damaged by a bomb raid in 1940, and repaired 10 years later.

In October 1965, the last service was held there before the area was demolished for the new shopping centre.

The congregation joined the Sarum Hill church, which was to be rebuilt further down the road in 1970 and called Trinity Church.

The development of the town, with its various housing estates, has led to other smaller Methodist meeting places being built, such as at Oakridge and Kempshott.

The South Ham church has seen a regular attendance over the years but is always glad to have new members. The social activities are plenty, with clubs for every age.

But then this is what church life is all about – helping the community.