LETCHWORTH FREE CHURCH

The United Reformed Church was founded in October 1972 by union of the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England. However not all the churches belonging to these two denominations agreed to accept the 1972 Scheme of Union. The records of those Hertfordshire churches which remained separate are catalogued under the reference NC.

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

NR5/1 Registers

NR5/2 Church Committee

NR5/3 Church Meeting Committee

NR5/4 Other Minute books

NR5/5 Church Membership

NR5/6 Communion Registers

NR5/7 Free Church Choir

NR5/8 Sunday School

NR5/9 Plans and Drawings

NR5/10 Magazines and printed material

NR5/11 Miscellaneous

UNITED REFORMED CHURCH RECORDS

NR1 Barnet, Wood Street United Reformed Church

NR2 Bushey United Reformed Church

NR3 Barley United Reformed Church

NR4 St Albans, Trinity United Reformed Church

NR5 Letchworth Free Church

NR6 Ware United Reformed Church

NR7 Royston United Reformed Church

NR8 Hitchin United Reformed Church

NR9 Radlett United Reformed Church

NR10 Wheathampstead United Reformed Church

NR11 Hemel Hempstead, Adeyfield Free Church (affiliated to the United Reformed Church

NR12 Bishops Stortford United Reformed Church

NR13 Harpenden United Reformed Church

NR14 Hertford United Reformed Church

NR15 New Barnet United Reformed Church

NR16 Knebworth United Reformed Church

<p>For Walkern United Reformed Church see D/EX838</p>

The records listed below were deposited in the Record Office in Mar 1977, Dec 1980, Feb 1983, Oct 1983 and Oct 1987 by Mrs Crimson, Church Secretary and the Revd C L Taylor (Minister).

Accessions 1567, 1805, 1969, 2014, 2305

Introduction

The Letchworth Free Church was established in 1905, two years after the foundation of the Garden City. It was the intention to build up a community of Christians from different Free Church or Non-Conformist backgrounds, provided that they could accept the simple basis of fellowship. The Church was opened on 17 October 1905 in Gernon Road, and was the first public building in the town. It was built mainly by voluntary labour. The church was governed by a Church Committee of elders and a Church Meeting of all members of the congregation (see NR5/2, and NR5/3).

The Church called its first pastor, the Revd W R Jackson, on 18 September 1907. The church was extended between 1908-1909 at a cost of £862, but by 1923 it was obvious that a larger church was required and the new foundation stone was laid in September of that year. This church opened on 24 June 1924. It was designed by Barry Parker, who had designed many of the Garden City buildings and built by a local builder, Mr Openshawe.

A new organ was installed in 1928 (see NR5/9/3 and 11/5) and the church was renowned for its choir (see NR5/7). The funeral of Ebenezer Howard, the founder of the Garden City movement, was held in the church on 5 May 1928.

The church made a stand against local licensing between 1910 and 1924 (see NR5/11/6) and managed to prevent a public house being established in Letchworth. In 1974 the church also managed to force the District Council to abandon a gyratory scheme which would have surrounded the church (see NR5/11/7-10).

The church had a flourishing Sunday School also called the Order of the Morning Star which involved itself in many activities, including welcoming evacuees from Bexhill during the Second World War (see NR5/8)

A further building programme was undertaken in 1962 and a new church hall was built incorporating the original stones laid in the first church.