WARDLEY PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL

Wardley Colliery was missioned by James Kelly and a Society formed in 1871 though a society had certainly existed for some years prior - Circuit Schedules show that the Society existed in 1860 and received regular preaching appointments.

The Chapel still being open (albeit at a different location), there are few deposited records in the Circuit Archives upon which to draw information. As with the Wardley Colliery MNC Chapel.

Foundation stones for the new chapel were laid at a site near the Infant School on a Monday afternoon in April 1884. The Rev. J Taylor chairman of the South Shields Circuit (at the time Wardley was in the South Shields Circuit) attended and a number of stones were laid. Following, there was a tea held in the Board School yard. The chapel was opened in July 1884 at a cost of £578 7s with seating for 210 and was registered for worship on 16th May 1885. Within 7 years it had average congregations of 150 and a membership of 15 and the Jarrow PM Circuit had come into existence.

The building was altered and enlarged in 1907 by William Knot of Heworth, to accommodate the growing congregation that by then numbered on average 200, with a membership of 74. The Sunday School, led by 28 teachers, had 84 boys and 101 girls, the Secretary at that time being Mr JR Barker, of 45 Second Street. Numbers dropped only a little in 1912 following the closure of the colliery and steadily rose during the First World War so that by 1925, there were 200 children attached to the school and 232 the following year. There was a good relationship between the two Wardley Chapels as, for example, in July 1882 the teachers and children from both Sunday Schools (numbering upwards of 400) walked in procession through the village to Wardley Hall, the home of Mrs Elizabeth Palmer, where they were entertained.

Within the archives there is an interesting Choir Meeting Minute Book for Wardley which gives an insight into the workings of the chapel choir of 100 years ago. The earliest entries relate to the newly written choir rules, such as:
"Any member off 3 times will be deemed to have left the choir".
"No treble singer under 12 years of age to be admitted".
"Members to sit where the choirmaster states, or be expelled from the choir".
Another entry in 1908 states that any choir member who visited a theatre would likely be expelled from the choir. In 1909, two members were reprimanded, it being "their first time" for going to the theatre, but were told that if they went again, they would be expelled. The warning did nothing to deter three others the following year for doing the same. As now, it was then much more difficult to get tenors, basses and altos for a choir and it would seem that nothing has changed in the last 100 years. In 1909, one prospective member was only allowed to join "provided he can sing alto"! In May 1909, the Married Peoples' Choir gave the Service of Song entitled "Old Davie" (a copy of the music for this is lodged at the Regional Resources Centre in Co. Durham)

The choir were kept very busy, not only with their own chapel appointments, concerts and special cantatas, but also in singing elsewhere and going Carol Singing on Christmas Eve when, in 1918, they raised £4. The choir also held and attended "Choir Demonstrations" - which must have been wonderful to hear! One such event planned to take place in 1928 (but which was canceled and held in 1938 instead) had planned that Silksworth Indpt. Methodist, Silksworth United Methodist, Marsden, Heworth Colliery, Windy Nook, Bill Quay and Washington Station PM Choirs would take part culminating in the united singing of "And the Glory of the Lord". That it was held in 1938, resulted in Silksworth & Washington Station choirs taking part along with Pelaw Presbyterian, along with the home choirs including the Wardley Colliery Male Voice. The choir were also invited to sing at many other chapels and churches and in the 1930s regularly sang at the Salvation Army in Felling, Hebburn, Jarrow and Tyne Dock.

Musically, there was an harmonium in the chapel until the installation of a Great War Memorial Organ constructed by Nelson's of Durham. This organ can now be found in the new Wardley Methodist Church at Thorne Avenue having been moved there with financial help from the Royal British Legion. The organ bears a plaque commemorating those men of the Chapel and Village who died in the conflict. Two smaller plaques acknowledge the work of Mrs J Burn for services rendered and William Davis for 40 years as organist and choirmaster.

Whilst the New Connexion Chapel had the Good Templars, the Primitive Chapel had the Independent Order of Rechabites. In 1915, the "Hope of Wardley" Juvenile tent won the District Challenge Shield for the largest increase in 6 months - an increase of 128 members.

A debt of £50 remained in 1913 when there were 19 members, 13 teachers and 150 scholars on the books. Within the colliery village was a population of around 1,000 persons, 150 of whom attended the chapel which was capable of seating 210.

In 1932, the old St. Oswald's Mission Hall which had stood close to Davidson's Farm and adjoining Bill Quay School, was pulled down and rebuilt behind the Methodist Chapel at Wardley to serve as a hall there. All the work was undertaken voluntarily by the village men and the hall - capable of seating 250 people - opened on 15th October. A musical evening took place that night including items by Wardley Male Voice Choir.

As there are no records deposited to examine, there is little that can be recorded here (hopefully, for the present time) particularly of the period immediately prior to the chapel's move to its new premises. Indeed, there is nothing available to describe events during the Second World War. Whilst there is no early record of Trustees, a new Trust was established on 11th June 1938 consisting of: Thomas Davis, Benjamin Mansell, William Sharp, Edward Short, Matthew Brown, Henry Burn, Robert Davison Burn, William Wilkinson, John West, Fred Wilkinson, James Edward Barker, Thomas Ridley Barker, William Davis, Thomas Leslie Forster, John Burn, George Slawther, Robert Bell, Benjamin Mansell jun. Jonathan Wilkinson and William Robinson Forster.

We do know that the War had an effect on the life of the village. On Friday 9th/Saturday 10th August 1940 at 00:00 hours, 3 high explosives were dropped on a grass field on the Springwell to White Mare Pool Road near Wardley Colliery. Two of the bombs exploded though there were no casualties or damage to buildings.

Following the end of the War, the chapel began the task of looking for a site for new premises. An application was lodged in February 1950 for a site on Thorne Avenue - the existing site had become quite remote from the old houses of Wardley as they faced demolition. On 7th April 1956, foundation stones were laid at the new site and on Sunday 2nd September of that year the last services were held in the old chapel. The following week the new Chapel was opened by Rev. SW Soulsby.

In 1971, the Jarrow & Gateshead Circuits united and Wardley Chapel became, and remains, a part of this Circuit. Land adjacent to the chapel site had been intended for use as tennis courts and other recreational facilities but, this never materialised and the land was sold off in 1974 to the British Legion Building Association who built Laurence Hill Court on the site.