Brief history

Story of the Building of the Church

In 1907 Coulsdon was growing rapidly with easy access to London via the new Coulsdon North Station built by the London and Brighton and South Coast Railway.  A few Methodists were meeting in the home of Thomas E. Bond; they later met at the Working Men's Club in Lion Green.  The Methodist Recorder of March 23rd 1911 had a headline, "London's Latest Methodist Outpost", showing pictures of Coulsdon and emphasising the need for a suitable church building in Coulsdon.

By 1910 the site on Brighton Road had been purchased for £800 and fundraising began.  About this time Sir Horace Marshall, a former Lord Mayor London, came to live in Chipstead and made generous gifts of some £3,000 and an offer to match any funds raised, on the condition that the church built should be "fit for a man to worship in"!  There is a memorial tablet to this benefactor on the north wall of the church and the adjacent pew was wider than all the others.

The stone laying ceremony took place, in a snow storm, on 5th April 1911 and the finished church was opened on 11th November in the same year.  The final cost was £7,835. 

There have been significant changes to the church in recent years, including the removal of all the pews from the body of the church. This was accompanied by the raising of the floor - so that it is now level throughout. A more comfortable worship area has been created, together with an area at the back with tables and chairs for the coffee after church - and for other events such as Open Church and Time for tea.  

The pictures at the top of the page are of the choir stalls and kneeling desk (for the preacher) which were part of the original 1911 building and have been retained. They are still used for the Thursday morning time of prayer. The pictures below are a side view of the Church from Coulsdon's commercial centre - and the original stone font, which has been retained.