"The Mission Hut"
A Brief History of St. Luke's Church
| The Mission Church Building. The history of St. Luke's begins out at the Redmires Reservoir (locally called The Dams). Just before the metalled road which continues Redmires Road and passes the Redmires Reservoir ends, two drives lead out of sight through woodland on the right, one leading to Stanedge Lodge away over the hill, and the other to Fairthorn Lodge (now derelict). The latter was built in 1893 by a Mr. Daniel Doncaster. To the already existing house at the bottom of his drive, Fairthorn Green Farm, Mr. Doncaster added and furnished a Reading Room which he gave to the Parish. The Reading Room, of wooden construction, was fully used in those days by the families out there; concerts and plays were held as well as lectures, "at homes" socials, movie shows, knitting |
parties and most importantly, religious
denominations took turns to hold services there. By 1912 many families had moved away from the area to lessen the danger of water contamination and possibly because of the severe winters sometimes experienced at Redmires. In 1919 the Redmires Reading Room was closed and then erected as a Mission Room in a field at Wyming Brook Farm, Soughley Lane, with access from Redmires Road. It was now called the Merryweather Memorial Mission in memory of Canon Merryweather, vicar of Christ Church, Fulwood, who died in 1916. At Wyming Brook the Memorial Mission had a most useful life for seventeen years. |
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| The Move to Blackbrook Road. However, by 1936 many new homes had been built at Lodge Moor and many of the cottages and farms had been vacated, again for reasons of possible water contamination. And so, in 1936 it was decided to move the Memorial Mission to the Blackbrook Road site. It was consecrated on 7th November 1936 by the Bishop of Sheffield as the Lodge Moor Mission. Very shortly afterwards the Mission hut became "St. Luke's Church" (see photo below) because of its closeness to the erstwhile |
Lodge Moor Hospital and in the context of our patron saint being "the beloved physician." St. Luke's first curate-in-charge was Rev. A. J. Ward who took over in June 1960. For over sixty years during its existence the clergy and laity of Christ Church, Fulwood, organised and led the witness and preaching of the Good News in the "wooden hut" as it is called by the older members of St. Luke's Church. |
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| The Present Church Building. In June 1966 the sturdy little Mission hut which had moved bodily from Fairthorn Green to Blackbrook Road was replaced by the new hexagonal church building of St. Luke's. The consecration plaque in the corridor speaks of the vision of Christ Church which brought the present St. Luke's Church building into being. The church was a daughter church of Christ Church, Fulwood until February 1988 when the new Parish of St. Luke's was created. |
St. Luke's last Curate-in-Charge and first
vicar was Rev. J. O. Forrester. In 1987 St. Luke's became a Local Ecumenical Partnership, representing the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches in Lodge Moor.In March 1999, work started to refurbish the Church Hall, kitchen and cloakrooms. The project was completed in December 1999 and the inclusion of an additional meeting room on an upper level and increased storage facilities has enhanced the provision for users of the premises and allowed several new activities to begin. [Based on an article by Sam Hulme]. |