In 1821 the Rev. W. J. Dyer, who was the minister of Ebenezer Baptist, split from that church taking half of the members with him to form what would later become Irwell Terrace. The first meetings of the new church were in a room in King Street.

A new chapel was opened on the 23rd May 1823 and the Rev. Dyer stayed for 11 years, preaching his last service on 28th September 1832. The church was without a minister for two and half years until the appointment of the Rev. Thomas Dawson on the 17th May 1835. Under Rev. Dawson's guidance the church prospered with an enlarged chapel being built 1838 and a preaching room built at Waterbarn, and a chapel built at Waterbarn in 1846 . Rev. Dawson left in 1851 having increased the membership from 64 to 327.

In 1854 under the leadership of Rev. G Mitchell the school was built in South Street at a cost of £1,400 and the school at Waterbarn was enlarged. In the same year Waterbarn severed connections with Irwell Terrace and became a seperate church.

Shortly after Rev. Mitchell came to Irwell Terrace in March 1852 a group of people who were hand loom weavers from Heptonstall Slack in Yorkshire and were looking for work arrived in Bacup and built a chapel 200 yards from Irwell Terrace to form South Street General Baptist. With Waterbarn severing connection in 1854 and a group of friends leave to form Zion Baptist the Rev. Mitchell left in 1855.

Up to the end of the 19th century steady progress was made with improvements to both the chapel and the school. The early 20th century saw the church without a minister on several occasions with the Rev. Overend of Ebenezer presiding over the years 1912 - 1914. Between the two World Wars things became more difficult for the Baptist churches in Bacup and in 1945 Irwell Terrace amalgamated with Zion to form the Union Baptist church, with both chapels being used.

The Ministers of
Irwell Terrace Baptist Church

Rev. W. J. Dyer	1821 - 1832
Rev. T. Dawson	1835 - 1851
Rev. G. Mitchell	1852 - 1855
Rev. E. F. Quant	1855 - 1861
Rev. J. G. Hall	1865 - 1872
Rev. A. Bowden	1873 - 1874
Rev. T. S. Hughes	1877 - 1891
Rev. T. B. Field	1892 - 1897
Rev. A. F. Giddings	1899 - 1902
Rev. H. R. Sumner	1906 - 1912
Rev. H. Harrison	1914 - 1920
Rev. A. Fields	1921 -