The Church was built originally as a Mission Room in 1888 – the date can be seen on the plaque below the bell on the West Wall. The building was transferred to Trustees in 1896 to promote services and religion within the parish of Emmanuel and William Berridge, a licensed lay reader, conducted the services. A tribute to his work can be seen of the back wall of the Church.
Pews have replaced the original chairs and the organ is now electronically powered. The old pump, which was operated manually, can be seen to the left of the keyboard.
The lectern, altar rails and aumbry woodwork all have a matching design and were made by a specialist in this field. Many of the items in Church have been donated in memory of loved ones.
The mission room was dedicated in the late 1950s as The Church of St. Mary-in-Charnwood – as we know it today. As a result of an increasing congregation the Church was upgraded from the status of a daughter to Emmanuel to that of a sister within a Team Ministry. A vicarage was purchased and the first Team Vicar Designate appointed in 1992. The legal formalities to establish the Team Ministry were completed in 1995.
Originally, the Vestry comprised a small area to the left of the Altar. By 1960 a new Vestry had been built to the side of the Church and this, in turn, was replaced by the Chapter House in 1999. This is a community resource – it is used by other churches for ‘time away’ for meetings, retreats etc. and also by other groups and individuals seeking a meeting place. It is also an ideal venue for children’s birthday parties
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”