Harrowby Lane Methodist Church - Grantham Lincolnshire

On this page members recall our history...

Our first building was built in the late 1920's
and was a wooden shed on signal road.



Building over the Wooden shed in the late 60's
with our brick building MKI!
Courtesy Grantham Journal.

'I first went to the Sunday School there in 1931. The youth group was called 'Camp Fire' & was run by Gorden Wylie. There wasn't a minister, the ministers from the town used to take it in turns, eventually there was a deaconess - but that was after my time. When the Organist moved away I was asked to take over, it was one of those which you had to peddle with your feet.' - Mary Robinson - started attending in 1931.

The building was then moved to our current site - but still it was a shed.

'It was an old Army Hut, but you make of it what you want. We had a pulpit in the corner & removable chairs so that it could be used for other things - we hadn't been in long when the clinic asked to use the building - every Wednesday that was.' - Anne Wright- Member since 1948.

But even when it was built - there was a vision....

I went to the shed for Sunday School. Everyone new it as the Clinic or the Hut - Never the church! Almost from the beginning we brought our old 'Bun Pennies' to Sunday School for the building fund, we didn't release it would take Fifteen years! The things I remember most about moving in to the new building are the separate male and female toilets & the instant electric heating - the Shed had had a coke boiler. - Joan Coyne - attending since 1955
Joan also recived an 'Order of the Morning Star' Badge and Certificate.


In 1963 the dream was to build a proper brick structure was realised, almost immediately there had to be an extension, to cope with increasing numbers! But by the 90's there were a number of problems that needed sorting - not least the fact that it was not big enough!

'Latest Health and Safety regulations meant that we needed a new Kitchen, Toilets and a Heating System. Not only were we having to put extra chairs out every Sunday for the increasing numbers, at the same time cracks were appearing in the walls. We could have bodged it - but it wouldn't have lasted very long.' - John Watson.

So a single storey community centre was envisaged. With a bit more thought (and money) this was transformed in to the 2 storey building we have today.