Church’s history carved in Stones Chapel and Sunday school celebrate more than 200 years of worship and fellowship

Much celebrating has been taking place in Calderdale churches as congregations commemorate landmark anniversaries.

This year St Mark’s, Siddal, Halifax, has marked its centenary with special services, as has Southgate Methodist, Elland, just this month.

St Andrew’s, Halifax, is marking 50 years since its foundation with the merger of four local chapels in 1965 and the granddaddy of all local Methodist churches, the famous Heptonstall octagon, celebrated its 250th year last October.

This weekend it is the turn of Stones Methodist to give thanks for more than 200 years of worship and fellowship on the edge of the Pennine moors above Ripponden.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a frequent visitor to what is now called Calderdale and when a group of men and women in the Ripponden area got together at the end of the 18th century they were caught up in the tide of early Methodism.

The cause grew and the trustees set about looking for a site for their own chapel. They found a field at Stones on the road to Rochdale which could be seen from practically every house in the district. The foundation stone was laid on 3 April 1803,and the first service held on September 23 1804.

The building was very plain with a gallery along both sides and the pulpit against the wall at one end. A Sunday school was probably held from the beginning, although the first recorded anniversary was not until 1816, for the previous year – which is why Stones is celebrating the 200th anniversary this year, 2015.

The boys were taught reading, writing and simple sums in the morning and similar lessons for girls were held in the afternoon. Other teachers gave Bible lessons.

The church and the Sunday school continued to grow and with five or six services every Sunday it was difficult for the school to operate in the chapel. Separate accommodation was needed.

In March 1817 land adjoining the chapel was bought and a small, mill-like building with two floors was built.

The old chapel itself was extended some time before 1840 and 10 years later more seating was provided. In 1863 the first organ was bought from King Cross Methodists for £80.

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Sunday schools remained hugely popular in the early Victorian period and following the 1870 Education Act Stones decided to operate a day school, which opened on January 2 1871 with 83 scholars. By the end of the year there were 167 scholars, many of them part time, who paid “school pence”, the younger ones 2d (1p) a week, the older ones up to 5d (2p).

But by 1880 the old school was totally inadequate and the trustees resolved to build a new one on land nearby. The new school, with accommodation for 300 day scholars, cost £1,700 and opened on January 2 1886.

By 1891 the Sunday school – as distinct from the day school – had 273 scholars and a staff of 49 teachers, including 21 women.

Anniversary services were important; they were well attended and the collections might fund the Sunday school for much of the year. Anniversaries were also a special annual reunion.

The social nature of the Sunday school was also evi-

Stones Methodist Church , Ripponden, in 1902, the year it opened. was completed in 1886 the old chapel was showing increasing signs of decay. The gable wall was bulging badly and there were other defects. As the years passed a new chapel was the only sensible solution.

More land adjoining the graveyard was purchased and the final service in the old chapel was held on September 9 1900. The new building, costing £3,000, seated 500 with a lecture hall underneath seating 200. The new church was opened on January 16 1902 amid great celebrations.

Both the church and school continued to be used for Sunday school purposes. The day school was taken over by the West Riding County Council in 1909 to become the Stones Provided School; the county council rented the building from the church but the dual use continued.

In 1921 a stained glass window and tablet were constructed in the church in hon-