Trinity Church – Growing and Going
Chapter 2 – Buildings and Beginnings
Every story has a beginning and ours begins with Rev. George Parsons:
“I came to the Grove Street Circuit in September 1930 to take charge of Stoneycroft, Wavertree and Huyton Quarry. The first time I went to Huyton Quarry I noticed that work had just begun on the Dovecot estate. The thought came to me that a new Methodist cause would have to be developed there. I discovered that the new estate would reach to Roby and Huyton.”
George Parsons subsequently rented a billiard room in Grant Road for ten shillings a week, and the very first service was taken by a Mr Wilkinson from Huyton; forty people were present. Then in the spring of 1933 the people moved to Dovecot Hall, where in addition to Sunday worship a Women’s meeting was started by Mrs. Parsons. George Moralee recalls holding worship with streamers above the congregation’s heads from the dance the night before.
Eventually, in September 1933, a site on Liverpool Road was given, thanks to the efforts of three uniting churches, and the Trustees with much faith decided to build on it at a cost of 7,000 pounds – 4,000 pounds of this coming from the Joseph Rank trust. The opening took place on the last Thursday in June 1934. George Parsons remembered that it was “a glorious summer’s day, and to me one of the happiest days of my life”.
Mrs Sandford Robinson opened the door of the Church with a golden key. The very first sermon was preached by Rev. W. C. Jackson from the text “If any man thirst, let him come to me”. The collection and gifts that afternoon amounted to 168 pounds.
Inside the original church hall
In the Prescot Reporter of June 29th 1934, these events were recorded. Alongside the article was one headed “Boy steals lady’s bicycle”. This was obviously big news in those days and given full coverage! Little did our folk suspect that such an incident would become trivial compared with the vandalism our premises were to be subjected to in later years, nor the staggering scale of crime generally in Huyton.
At that time in 1934 we were dubbed the “Knotty Ash Mission” and long before Ken Dodd was heard of! It was intended to build a Church as well as a Church Hall, but this proved to be too ambitious at the time. The congregation had to wait until the late 1950’s to launch into a scheme for building a Sanctuary. This was completed in 1961, adjoining the hall for a cost of 15,000 pounds. The stained glass windows, organ and pews were transferred to the new Church from the recently closed Trinity, Grove Street Church. In gratitude our new Church was dedicated as Trinity Methodist Church.