Chapel Next the Green (the history of Twickenham Congregational Church) index page
With rented housing becoming increasingly scarce it was felt that the vacancy would be hard to fill until a manse could be provided. Thanks to further generous donations, offers of loans and gifts from the LCU and CUEW, and the promise of a substantial bank loan it was possible to begin looking for a suitable property.
The interregnum was not uneventful. In March 1955 Mrs Still and Miss Pearce retired after 25 years service to the Guide movement. In April the Rev. Aubrey Lewis, Principal of the LMS Tiger Kloof settlement which had been forced to close because of the South African apartheid policy was invited to accept part-tine charge of the Church, but he did not feel able to accept until the future of the mission was finally resolved.
May 1955 saw four young people making their decision for Christ at the Billy Graham Crusade, then becoming Church members. In July a coach party of supporters went to the ordination of Mr James Sparkes at Swanley. On September 26th, during the first of several visits home, the Rev. Arthur Stops conducted the services in his old church.
Meanwhile the pastorate had been filled. In June Mr Peirce learned that the Rev. F.A.Willmot, newly returned from New Zealand, was seeking a pastorate. A party of deacons was hastily organised to hear him preaching at Hounslow. He was invited to preach at Twickenham two weeks later, and on July 5th the members knew their search was over: “there was a unanimous conviction that the Rev F.A.Willmot was the right minister for our church and the meeting wholeheartedly agreed that a call be given to him”.
Mr Willmot had been apprenticed as a printer‘ s compositor, but, convinced of a call to the ministry, had trained at Paton College, Nottingham, using his entire savings. His five years in Christchurch N.Z. had followed pastorates at Haverhill, Suffolk and East Sheen. It was at Haverhill that he married his wife Amy who contributed enormously to the success of his ministry.
By stretching every last penny , a suitable house, 219 Staines Road, was secured for £3000 [it last sold for £875,000 in 2024!]. The Manse fund with loans stood at £3040. Dawe & Co made a gift of their legal services and with further donations essential repairs were carried out. In the meantime Mrs Burgess senior generously vacated her house to accommodate Mr and Mrs Willmot and their two daughters while this work was done.
As the Church was still receiving a grant it was not at liberty to pay a stipend higher than the minimum (£390). With the deacons blessing Mr Willmot returned to his old trade of printing, working on Mondays and Tuesdays to supplement his income. Fortunately he was able to give up this extra work after nine months.
As soon as the pastorate began everyone knew that the right minister had been found. Everyone loved Andrew Willmot, from the smallest child (myself included!) to old folk whom he faithfully visited on his bicycle. The membership grew from 90 at the start of the pastorate to an all-time high of 144 in 1960. By 1958 the finances of the Church, under the careful stewardship of Mr Faers, had improved to such an extent that for the first time in over 35 years the Church was able to support a full-time minister without external assistance. Many of the new members were young people who from 1958 were able to show their commitment by becoming Junior Members. The Secretary, reporting on 1958, considered that “the growing number of young people coming into active fellowship was the finest thing that had happened in the Church recently, and our thanks were due to all the youth leaders and to Mr & Mrs Willmot who had done so much through the warm welcome so often given at the Manse“.
The same year saw the winning of the Scripture Examination Shield, 15 local Sunday Schools competing. To the “real joy” of Mr Stockdale the roll was maintained at over 100 all through the late 1950’s leading to the fear expressed in 1960 of “possible overcrowding in the Sunday School and young people’s organisations“. Sunday evenings would see the pews full of young people, many of whom, including the Willmots’ daughters, Frances and Elizabeth, belonged to the Sunday evening discussion group. Sunday School festivals were a great event of the time. A visiting preacher would conduct Sunday worship and on the Monday evening parents and friends would come to the Sunday School play, rehearsed for weeks beforehand under Mr Stockdale’s supervision. In 1962 the present form of Mothering Sunday service with attractive posies for mothers was begun and has continued ever since.
The only disappointment was the closure of the Boys Brigade in 1962 due to lack of suitable leadership, leaving a gap only partly filled by the Greenside Youth Club. For a period in 1962 the 8th Twickenham Scouts and Cubs attended parade services and since 1980 they’ve met in the church hall. The Guides and Brownies continued under several leaders, Mrs Willmot serving as Guide Captain for three years.
Older People were not forgotten. In 1956 10,000 copies of a leaflet advertising a sermon series on topical issues were distributed, bringing in several new members. Similar ventures were repeated throughout Mr Willmot’s pastorate. In 1982 many still remembered the pageant ‘Our Glorious Heritage’ produced by the women of the Church to mark the Tercentenary of the 1662 Great Ejection.
Two services were broadcast from the church. The first in 1957 was conducted by the Rev Elsie Chamberlain who had joined the church in 1955 after a pastorate at Vineyard church, Richmond. Her influence on the church as a deacon and occasional preacher was mirrored by her prominence on the national scene, culminating in her serving as chairman of the CUEW 1956-57. The second broadcast service, on July 26th 1964, was equally well received.
Broadcasting had taken the other direction in December 1952 when thanks to DER (a television rental company) the ‘Congregation was able to join in a service televised from the newly commissioned Missionary ship ‘John Williams VII’. For many years this line of ships, working in the South Sea islands was the responsibility of Congregational children, and ‘Ship Sunday’ in November each year would mark the start of the collecting season.
During this time links with local Churches were strengthened. In 1960 Mr Arthur Burgess was inducted as Local Pastor at Brentford, and links with other Congregational Churches in the district were well maintained. In May 1962, one of the deacons, Mr Charles Portway, suggested that the Church should take the lead in forming a local council of churches. Minister and Church were enthusiastic and with support from the Vicar of Twickenham, the Rev John Davies, the Twickenham Council of Churches held its inaugural meeting on May 27th 1964, Mr Portway being appointed its first Secretary. Since then, under the revised name of Twickenham United Christian Council, it has did much to contribute to the high degree of unity between the local church and several of our members served as chairmen. It has to be noted that since CNG was published in 1982, interest in ecumenical activities has declined.
Cooperation between the Churches to help others led to the first Christian Aid Week in 1962. We were one of two Churches to take part but were joined by nearly all the others in the following years. January 1962 had also seen the quest for greater unity expressed in the adoption of a Church Covenant.
Besides spiritual growth, buildings were not forgotten. The Manse debt, £2000 at the start of the pastorate, was cleared by 1961, and a number of improvements were made to the house. In February 1956:
“Following an idea voiced at Church Meeting it had been discovered that a plot of land might be available for building a new church at the Staines Road corner of the Rivermeads estate. Whilst the diaconate seemed to feel that the shortcomings of the existing premises could best be met by improvements on the present site, it was agreed to obtain an agent’s estimate for the sale of the present site and buildings in order that we might have a more realistic view of the problem“.
A “ridiculous offer of £8500 for the existing site and buildings” did little to change the diaconate’s view and on the advice of an architect it was decided to systematically improve and repair the buildings. A Renovation Fund was started and helped by memorable efforts including the ‘Bazaarbecue’ (1956) and the ‘Bazarchery’ (1957), the church was completely redecorated in 1958, the kitchen rebuilt in 1961, and the church heating converted to gas in 1964. On completion of the latter a presentation was made to Mr Percy Smith, who had stoked the boiler for many years.
In July 1964 Mr Willmot announced his resignation which was received with much regret. Having done so much for Twickenham, he had felt led to accept a call to the Church at Earlsfield, which had struggled without a minister for some years. He moved in October 1964 leaving behind him a church that was spiritually and financially sound.
Sadly Mrs Willmot died in February 1972, so was not able to share in his retirement. In 1973 he retired to St Leonards where he continued to serve the Churches in the Hastings area. He died on 26th December 1976, aged 69, only weeks after returning to Twickenham for a farewell social on the retirement of Mr & Mrs Reg Peirce to Sidmouth.
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