Methodist Central Hall, Coventry … one of 100 or so Methodist Central Halls built in British cities between 1886 and 1945 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
Patrick Comerford
We are in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar, and this week began with the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity XII, 27 August 2023). Today, the calendar of the Church of England in
Common Worship remembers the life of Saint Giles of Provence (
ca 710), Hermit.
Before the day begins, I am taking some time this morning for prayer and reflection.
In recent weeks, I have been reflecting on the churches in Tamworth and Lichfield. This week, I am reflecting each morning in these ways:
1, Looking at a church in Coventry;
2, the Gospel reading of the day in the Church of England lectionary;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.
Methodist Central Hall, built in 1931-1932, is a vibrant city centre church in Coventry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
Methodist Central Hall, Coventry:
Coventry Central Hall, Coventry, is one of 100 or so Methodist Central Halls built in British cities between 1886 and 1945. Each one was designed as a place for the community to gather, and would attract thousands of people on Saturday evenings with concerts, cinema and meeting spaces.
The Methodist Church still owns 18 of the original buildings, many of which have been substantially altered. Another 27 have been completely demolished or were bombed in World War II. Nineteen of the buildings are protected as listed buildings.
Coventry Central Hall was built in the 1930s. It is a vibrant city centre church, embedded in the local community and it was fully engaged with Coventry’s City of Culture 2021 programme.
Dr Angela Connelly of the University of Manchester says these Methodist Central Halls were large buildings, all designed not to look like a church. She says: ‘Nearly everyone in the UK will have seen a Methodist Central Hall: Pavarotti performed at Kingsway Hall and the UN Declaration was signed in Westminster Central Hall … in their heyday, they attracted big crowds: the Manchester and Salford mission headquarters once boasted 2000 volunteers.’
But because they do not look like churches or cathedrals, the public are not aware of those that remain at all, especially those that have been converted into other uses such as bars and pubs.
The decline, she says, is explained by a long period of drops in Methodist congregations nationally, as well as even steeper losses through inner-city demographic and economic changes.
Her research shows how the missions promoted cultural activity to make Methodism relevant to everyday lives and provide people with an alternative to the lure of alcohol. This included popular entertainment such as film shows, concerts and variety performances.
Joseph Rank of Rank Hovis provided much of the capital to build the Central Halls. His son, the film producer J Arthur Rank, was also a prominent Methodist who became interested in the film industry after seeing the pioneering use of religious films at the Methodist Missions in the 1920s.
As numbers dropped and maintenance costs spiralled, rooms were let out to other organisations and the halls were used for a wide variety of events and rented out to other organisations for theatres, libraries, social services and school exams.
Grimsby and Southampton are now theatres, Liverpool’s Central Hall hosts a collection of independent traders, at Bristol and Bradford the central halls have been converted into flats.
The Central Hall in Coventry can be traced back to the Wesleyan chapel on Warwick Lane, designed by John Toone of Leamington and opened in 1836 for the congregation that had once worshipped in a chapel in Gosford Street. Vestries and classrooms were added later. By 1851, morning congregations averaged 400, with 40 attending the Sunday school.
The new Central Hall opened in Warwick Lane in 1932, in the same location as the former chapel but on a larger site. From March 1931 until January 1932, while building was in progress, the congregation used the former Baptist chapel in Cow Lane.
The new hall was designed by Claude Redgrave and Partners of Coventry and is an impressive red-brick building in the Tudor style, with a stone entrance arch surmounted by an oriel window and a small turret. In 1940, the principal hall could seat 1,379 people, and there were also four school halls and 19 other rooms.
Serious war-time damage was repaired in 1946, and during that time the Coventry Hippodrome was used for services.
Central Hall is locally listed. Close by is the Grade II* listed Christchurch Steeple.
Central Hall is part of the Coventry and Nuneaton Circuit of the Methodist Church. The ministry teams includes the Revd Stephen Willey and Deacon Sheila Dawson. Next Sunday (3 September), the services include: 9 am, Breaking Bread, the Revd Stephen Willey; 10:30 am, Covenant, the Revd Stephen Willey; 5 pm, Taizé.
Central Hall on Warwick Lane was designed by Claude Redgrave and Partners of Coventry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
Matthew 25: 1-13 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 1 ‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” 9 But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12 But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is the ‘República de Jovens Home in Brazil.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (1 September 2023) invites us to pray in these words:
Let us lift in prayer the Anglican Parish of Inclusion. May God guide and bless their ministry, especially their community projects.
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post Communion Prayer:
God of all mercy,
in this eucharist you have set aside our sins
and given us your healing:
grant that we who are made whole in Christ
may bring that healing to this broken world,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Central Hall is part of the Coventry and Nuneaton Circuit of the Methodist Church (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
Yesterday’s Reflection
Continued Tomorrow
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
http://nrsvbibles.org
A statue of Saint Giles above the west door of Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford … today is feast of Saint Giles (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2023)
