Churches and Chapels in Haltwhistle

The Quaker Meeting House, Coanwood

The Meeting House was built in 1760 and is historically important as it has not been modified since it was built. It is a Grade II* listed building and is currently owned and cared for by the Historic Chapels Trust. However, the Trust is soon to relinquish this responsibility so there are steps being taken to preserve the future of this delightful building. The Meeting House is open every day between 10:00 and 16:00 (as of September 2023) but accessibility may be more limited in the future.

The Quakers differ from other religious groups as they have no minister, services, baptisms, etc. They also refused to pay tithes and were often put in prison for debt. They feel strongly that they should improve the lives of those less fortunate. An example of this is that the rear of the building was used as a lending library which supported local literacy and education.

Quakers were not permitted to be buried in Church of England graveyards as they had not been baptised. If they were buried in Quaker ground, they did not have memorial stones. Interestingly, there are memorial stones, and these belong to members of the Wigham family. The Meeting House was built on a plot of land donated by Cuthbert Wigham.

The existence of the Meeting House implies that there was a Quaker presence of some strength and wealth in the local community at that time. John Hodgson (1779 – 1845) a notable author of the time wrote in 1840:

“Haltwhistle. There is in it a manufactuary (sic) of coarse bays (sic) belonging to two worthy Quakers; their fulling mill finished and approved of by trial, 17th September 1762; pleasure and cheerfulness appearing in every face on the occasion; giving a prospect of better bread to the industrious poor.”

Further research by Alison Higgs has confirmed that two gentlemen, Messrs. Coates and Reay were owners of mills on the Haltwhistle Burn and were also members of the Coanwood Quakers.

The Salvation Army

The citadel was situated close to the Grey Bull and what is now the Wapping Garden.

Maureen Hardcastle said (September 2023) that her mother was a member as she was musical but was unsure which instrument she played.

Tin Mission

This was a Baptist Chapel, an offshoot of the Primitive Chapel. There were claims that the organ and singers could not harmonise at the Primitive Chapel!

The Tin Mission was situated off West End, in what is now the Wildflower Meadow of Riverside Park. When working on the area, the volunteers found what they believe to be the red brick foundations of the building. It was demolished after being hit by a lorry. (A photograph of this is on the Old Haltwhistle Website). Apparently, a gas pipe was also hit in the accident and local folk had to be evacuated whilst it was sorted out. (Editor: I understand that the lorry swerved to avoid a youngster who had himself stepped in the road to avoid something.)

Maureen Hardcastle said (September 2023) it was the best church in Haltwhistle as it was so joyful. Others who remember attending agreed with her.

Elam Hall

This was a small Baptist Chapel situated in Park Road and later became an undertaker’s office. Steve Palmer’s father was the minister there so it is possible that Steve could provide further information. The floor of the chapel could be rolled back to expose a lead tank used for baptisms.

Methodist Chapels

The Methodist way of worship was an offshoot of the Church of England and it was known that worshippers from Haltwhistle originally met in people’s houses at Townfoot. Christine said that she had been told that in Mill Lane, the first house on the left was once a Methodist Chapel.

Methodist Church

When the numbers of the congregations began to decline, the Wesleyans amalgamated with the Methodists. The building in Westgate dates from 1882. The Castle Hill Methodist Chapel amalgamated with the Westgate congregation in 1972.

The area beneath the church could accommodate 200 children. There used to be a Youth Club there. Maureen informed us that Onward, Christian Soldiers was a very popular tune to dance the One Step to!

St Cuthbert’s

This was a Presbyterian chapel, positioned just off Fair Hill. It was up for sale in 1991 and in order to view it, the keys had to be collected from Eddie Webster.

The Primitive Chapel

This is now a private home, situated at the top of Castle Hill. It was bought by Jet Kendrew.

St Wilfrid’s

This is a Roman Catholic church situated in Main Street and is the successor to a church built in the east end of Haltwhistle in 1865 and dedicated to Holy Cross. It became known as St Wilfrid’s in 1920.

As the congregation grew, the church transferred to the west end of the town and moved into the United Reform building in 1991. The church was shared by both denominations. When the United Reform congregation numbers declined, the building was purchased for the sole use of Roman Catholic worshippers in 2010.

General information

As the town expanded, the churches and chapels gave the opportunities for the miners, mill workers, etc to worship.

Many of the religions supported the idea of temperance. The mine owners, in particular, were in favour of this as they wanted a sober workforce and sponsored many of the chapels. ‘Pop’ became very popular and a ‘pop’ factory was established in the area beside Hextol Cottages. (Editor: It was once known as “pop” because it was sold in bottles with a marble in the neck. When you pushed the marble down, it would pop and release the carbonation, making the drink fizzy and refreshing. Today, most lemonade is still carbonated, but you can also find still varieties that are equally delicious.)