CASTLECROFT INDEPENDENT (CONGREGATIONAL) CHURCH, BURY

Additional records including members register 1915-1967, Womens' Guild minutes 1933-1965, annual reports 1935-1940, and Kay Street Mission School deeds 1908-1914, are held by Lancashire Record Office (ref. CuBu).

These records were deposited by Bury United Reformed Church in 1994.

In 1837 several members of New Road Congregational Church decided to form a sunday school on the west side of the town, for which purpose they hired a warehouse at Shorefields. The following year, they formally split with New Road, called the Rev.W.Roseman as the first pastor of the new church, and commenced building a new chapel and school at Castlecroft. This was opened for worship in September 1840, along with the burial ground, which remained open until 1855. A new sunday school was added in 1892, the old one being converted into a lecture hall.

Difficult conditions led to the church sharing a pastor with New Road between 1944 and 1948, but a proposal to amalgamate the two churches was rejected, and as a result, Castlecroft had no pastor until 1961. Finally it was agreed that Castlecroft should amalgamate with Bethel and New Road churches, and the new combined Bury Congregational Church, based at the former New Road premises, was formed in January 1965. Records of the amalgamated church are included with those of the former New Road church CNR).