PROTESTANT NONCONFORMITY.
Thomas Case, formerly rector of St. Gilesin-the-Fields, and William Low, who had been
ejected as a preacher at Hereford, were both
licensed as Presbyterians when at Chiswick in
1672. (fn. 87) George Fox made several visits to
Chiswick, where he helped to find a schoolhouse
for Anne Travers, between 1685 and 1690. (fn. 88)
Meetings were held at the house of Obadiah
Marriot, a minister, in 1689 and 1691. (fn. 89)
A building at Turnham Green was registered
in 1809 by dissenters, (fn. 90) including one who in
1817 registered the boys' school near the Windmill as a place of instruction for Independents. (fn. 91)
Part of Belmont House academy, also at Turnham
Green, was registered for worship in 1821. (fn. 92)
There were apparently two protestant nonconformist chapels, both of them Independent,
in 1851, when neither had a congregation as large
as that of the Roman Catholic mission. (fn. 93) By 1890
most of the leading denominations had acquired
premises (fn. 94) and by 1903 the largest sect was the
Baptists, with 903 attendances on one Sunday;
varying Methodist worshippers then totalled
479, attenders at an evangelistic mission in Fraser
Street numbered 333, and Congregationalists
318. (fn. 95) Arrivals in the period between the World
Wars included Christian Scientists, Seventh Day
Adventists, and Mormons. Falling attendances
among the older congregations led to the closure
of several churches, in Chiswick and elsewhere,
after the Second World War. (fn. 96)
Congregationalists. (fn. 97)
Independents, said
to have formed mtg. 1812, leased bldg. near S.
side Chiswick Lane as chapel and Sunday sch.
1831. Replaced 1841 by pedimented bldg., with
round-headed windows, containing chapel
seating 350 and schoolroom overhead. (fn. 98) Attendance 1851, when known as Chiswick dissenting
chapel: 192 a.m.; 28 aft.; 114 p.m. (fn. 99) After
numbers had dwindled, chapel acquired by
Bapts. 1866. (fn. 1)
Strand chapel, Strand-on-the-Green, blt.
1833 and used on weekdays as British sch.
Attendance 1851, when it seated c. 92 and served
a neighbourhood 'destitute . . . of religious
obligation': 50 a.m.; 44 aft.; 30 p.m. (fn. 2) Closed by
1903.
Turnham Green or Gunnersbury Cong.
church originated in mtgs. in lecture hall from
1873. Hall burnt down 1875, plot bought S. side
Chiswick High Rd., (fn. 3) and new church reg. 1882. (fn. 4)
Attendance 1903: 157 a.m.; 161 p.m. Church, of
stock brick with stone dressings in the Early
English style, seated c. 450 and inc. classrooms
on lower floor. (fn. 5) From 1963 church leased as a
store and in 1978 awaited demolition (between
nos. 345 and 347). Services held in a hall
1963-74; cong. joined Brentford Cong. ch. (q.v.)
and Presbs. 1972 as Chiswick United Reformed
church. (fn. 6)
Methodists.
Chiswick Meth. church, Sutton
Court Rd., originated in mtgs. of Hammersmith
Wes. circuit in Chiswick by 1845, in shops off
High Rd. c. 1865 and c. 1876. Yellow-brick
Sunday sch. chapel blt. 1880 on land given by
duke of Devonshire. (fn. 7) Attendance 1903: 102
a.m.; 95 p.m. Red-brick church with stone dressings, in a Perpendicular style and with NE.
tower, built N. of sch. chapel 1909, seating c. 800.
Damaged in Second World War. Remained in
use with older chapel as hall 1978. (fn. 8)
Strand-on-the-Green Wes. mtg. bef. 1880, (fn. 9) in
mission room in Back Lane by 1887-8, mission
ho. by 1901-2. (fn. 10) Attendance 1903: 70 p.m.
Hammersmith circuit 1908. Closed by 1909. (fn. 11)
Primitive Meths. in former Cong. and Bapt.
chapel in Chiswick Lane 1882 (demol. 1884), (fn. 12) in
hall in Fisher's Lane 1884. (fn. 13) Attendance 1903: 95
a.m.; 117 p.m. Richmond circuit 1908. (fn. 14) Closed
by bombing in Second World War. (fn. 15)
Baptists.
Chiswick Bapt. church originated in
acquisition of former Cong. chapel in Chiswick
Lane 1866. Moved to iron chapel E. side
Annandale Rd. 1882 on land bought by J. T.
Olney of Metropolitan Tabernacle, (fn. 16) seating
200 (fn. 17) before extension 1893. Moved to rented
hall in Turnham Green Terrace 1896 and to new
church in Annandale Rd. 1897. (fn. 18) Attendance
1903: 235 a.m.; 276 p.m. Red-brick church with
stone dressings, in a Gothic style, seating 625. (fn. 19)
Remained in use 1978.
Gunnersbury Bapt. church, (fn. 20) begun in iron
chapel of 1873, replaced by church S. side
Wellesley Rd., opened 1877 and reg. by Union of
Protestant Dissenters as Trinity Martyrs' Mem.
church 1879. (fn. 21) Declared Bapt. 1885, in charge of
London Bapt. Assoc. 1887. Attendance 1903:
151 a.m.; 241 p.m. Red-brick church with stone
dressings in an Early English style, seating 650
from 1890. (fn. 22) Remained in use 1979, not in
membership with Bapt. Union. (fn. 23) Lecture hall in
Sutton Lane, blt. 1881 and reg. for worship
1897, (fn. 24) replaced by hall adjoining church in
Wellesley Rd. 1931.
Reformed Episcopalians.
Emmanuel Reformed Episcopal church reg. 1883 (fn. 25) by branch
of Protestant Episcopal Church of America, (fn. 26) as
iron bldg. N. side Wellesley Rd., seating 550.
Larger iron church in use from 1890, (fn. 27) when old
bldg. became sch. room. (fn. 28) Attendance 1903: 129
a.m.; 98 p.m. Regular services ceased c. 1940.
Church demol. 1949 (fn. 29) and replaced by flats called
Wellesley Court by 1978.
Salvation Army.
Chiswick hall, High Rd.,
reg. 1890. Still used 1895-6 but replaced by 1900
by Shaftesbury institute (later hall), William
Street. (fn. 30) Attendance 1903: 24 a.m.; 42 p.m.
Army moved by 1914 and reg. Clifton hall,
Clifton Gardens, 1916, leaving between 1940 and
1964. (fn. 31)
Other denominations and unspecified missions.
Undesignated Christians reg. no. 45
William Street 1861 but no longer used it 1895. (fn. 32)
Chiswick Mission, originally coffee-stall of
R. T. Smith for Thornycrofts' workmen, later in
Furze Street and then in Fraser Street, where
iron bldg. reg. by unsectarian mission 1882 and
brick bldg. reg. 1891. (fn. 33) Attendance 1903:
163 a.m.; 170 p.m. Yellow-brick bldg. with
rendered gable end in Fraser Street still used
1978.
Plymouth Brethren used Clifton hall, Clifton
Gardens, 1890 (fn. 34) but apparently had left by 1903.
Shaftesbury ragged sch., William Street, reg.
for unsectarian worship 1886. Replaced 1895 by
Shaftesbury institute, (fn. 35) presumably bldg. used
by Salvationists 1903. (fn. 36)
Robert Raikes mem. schs. mission and lecture
hall, Sutton Lane, reg. by unspecified dissenters
1882 to 1895. (fn. 37)
Society of Friends first met at Chiswick
Mission 1906, then in Fisher's Lane 1907 and
Turnham Green Terrace. (fn. 38) Reg. nos. 15-17
Essex Place 1913 to 1924. (fn. 39)
Christian Scientists, previously in Twickenham, rented hall in Turnham Green Terrace
1920, called Tenth Church of Christ, Scientist,
1921 and First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1924.
New church in Marlborough Rd. founded 1931
and reg. 1932; bldg., finished after Second World
War, seated c. 100 1978. (fn. 40)
Chiswick Seventh Day Adventist church, S.
side Bath Rd. but postal address Stamford Brook
Rd. (Hammersmith), opened 1916, reg. 1932 and
1937, and burnt down 1971. Larger church of red
brick and glass, seating 280, officially opened on
same site 1974 and attended mainly by West
Indians 1978. (fn. 41)
Crusader hall, blt. E. side Sutton Court Rd.
1926, replaced temporary accommodation and
seated 150-200. Also used by Pentecostalists
1979. (fn. 42)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
reg. Ivy hall, Cambridge Rd., 1937, replacing it
1941 with no. 58 Wellesley Rd. and 1944 with
room at no. 1A Chiswick Common Rd., which it
had left by 1964. (fn. 43)