Fr. Cleugh is absolutely right. When these churches were built, the local church was the social and spiritual hub for the people of that particular denomination. Also people lived and worked right there in Hebburn, so their lives were centered very locally.

Unfortunately we are a much more fragmented society now. A lot of people don't even go into a place of work any more, they just work from their houses, so there is even less social interaction. Also a lot of the trust in organized religions has been eroded over the years for one reason or another.