A RESTORED plaque to commemorate the location of the first Methodist church in Winchester has been unveiled at Kings Walk.
Mayor of Winchester Russell Gordon-Smith, superintendent of the Methodist Circuit Rev Peter Rayson and the leader of Winchester City Council Martin Tod attended the ceremony.
The church, in Silver Hill, opened its doors in 1785 with a ceremony conducted by Rev John Wesley, who was the founder of Methodism. The building was later sold and continued to be a place of worship until 1865. It was then used in a variety of different ways until it was later demolished in 1970.
Last year, it was announced that Winchester City Council had appointed Jigsaw to take forward a new vision for this part of the city, now referred to as Central Winchester Regeneration (CWR). Following a revival of Kings Walk, thanks to improvement works and the commitment of a number of local businesses, it has been decided that the plaque should be reinstalled on the Silver Hill side of Kings Walk, as the original location of the church.
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Rev Rayson said: “I’m delighted in the success of the occasion of re installing the plaque on Kings Walk. Methodism had given a significant contribution in the last years to the city and would continue to do so in the future. I am most appreciative of the way that the councillors and officers of Winchester City Council have supported the reinstallation of the plaque for future generations.”
Matt Woolgar, development director at Jigsaw, said: “We are delighted to support the reinstallation of the Methodist Church memorial plaque in Kings Walk. We are committed to ensuring the rich history and cultural heritage of Winchester is preserved, whilst also shaping the city for the future through enabling new opportunities, investment and growth to support local people, their skills and talent.”
Cllr Tod added: “I didn’t realise quite how long and deep our history of Methodism was in our city. It’s been wonderful to celebrate that with Methodists from across our area and link that history and tradition to the exciting work we’re doing alongside Jigsaw to regenerate this part of our city for the future.”
After the Methodist congregation left the building in Silver Hill, they had a variety of homes until 1865 when St Peters Church and then Parchment Street Church was opened. In 1974 the Methodist joined with the United Reformed Church in Jewry Street to form the United Church Winchester. Finally, in 1956 as a result of development in the North of Winchester the Wesley Methodist Church in Weeke was opened.
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