Haslingden Road United Methodist Church

Haslingden Road, Rawtenstall

In 1835 the "reform movement" was started within the Wesleyan Methodist Church and led to many of its supporters either withdrawing or being expelled from the Church. Amongst the people who supported the reform movement, which came into full existence in 1849, were the Whitehead brothers who were prominent members of Longholme Wesleyan Church. It was their support for the reform movement that caused them to split from Longholme, taking with them many prominent people from the Rawtenstall area. The Whiteheads had start Holy Mount School in 1839 for the education of the children of their workpeople, and it was there that Sunday sevices were started in July 1854.

The Methodist Free Church commenced its operations on the 6th August 1854 and over the next couple of years grew at such a pace that by 1856 it was decided to build a new church. The Whitehead Brothers gave the land on Haslingden Road for the church, which was built at a cost of £8,000 and at the time it was considered to be one of the finest examples of the classic Corinthian style in Lancashire. Two years and ten months after the split from Longholme the new church held it’s first service on 18th June 1857.

By the mid nineteen thirties the congregation had dwindled to such an extent that the main church was closed down and service were held in the Sunday School building. With a congregation of less than fifty people the last service was held on 16th July 1939. The building is now used as a conference and public function centre.