Central Methodist Church, Batley

The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available. Please feel free to add or update with any additional information.

Formerly known as Zion Methodist New Connexion Church.

Was established c1797 by a group of members who seceded from Batley Wesleyan Methodist Church.

A chapel was built in Spa Hill in 1823.

A Sunday School was established by 1814 and used Up Lane Sunday School premises from 1814-1830;this was an undenominational Sunday School built in Upper Commercial Street 1813-1814. In 1830, the Sunday school moved to premises in Commercial Street.

Zion chapel was built at the corner of Branch Road & Commercial Street in 1854-1855 and the Sunday School moved to the new chapel in 1855. Between 1868-1870 the chapel was rebuilt and included accommodation for the Sunday School in the ground floor, though by 1881 a Sunday School had been built behind the chapel.

In 1965-1966 there were plans for Batley Corpororation to acquire the site of Zion chapel for redevelopment but nothing came of this and in 1967 it was renamed Central Methodist Chapel.

In 1975 there were plans for Central & Cross Bank Methodist Churches and Hanover Street United Reformed Church to amalgamate but nothing came of this.

Then in 1984, Cross Bank United Church joined with Central using the premises in Commercial street.

The Sunday School was demolished and a new 'resource centre' was built adjoining the site in 1994.

Still in existence in 2009 as a United Methodist and United Reformed Church.

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NB. The chapel was nicknamed the 'Shoddy Chapel' because many of the shoddy merchants and manufacturers of Batley attended it.