Central Hall’s 100th birthday
Scarborough’s Queen Street Methodist Central Hall is set to celebrate its 100th birthday.
The original building was built in 1840. On December 16, 1914, it was damaged in the bombardment of Scarborough.
Repairs were undertaken and the newly-repaired building was set to re-open on February 28, 1915, but two days before, there was a huge fire at Boyes Remnant Warehouse which razed both the store and Queen Street Wesleyan Church to the ground.
It took many years to rebuild the church but after numerous delays and fundraising, the Queen Street Central Hall was opened on March 14, 1923 with much pomp and ceremony and 2,000 people in attendance.
A new roof was added to the church in 2018 while the interior has also been upgraded, with the old seating removed in the main hall and flexible seating replacing it.
It also now boasts the Cornerstone Café with a modern kitchen in which to prepare meals, which has given the church a new lease of life with events, concerts and community functions easier to accommodate.
The centenary is being celebrated throughout the year with guest ministers, a community party, concerts and a Heritage Open Day in September.
An anniversary service takes place on Sunday, March 12 with guest minister Rev Ashley Cooper of Cliff College.
Other events are an Easter Craft event on Saturday, April 8, and organist Jonathan Scott, along with his brother, Tom Scott on piano, will perform there on Saturday, May 13.
Rev Peter Shilling – who was Queen Street Minister from 1994 to 2001 – will lead a service as a guest minister on Sunday, May 28.
The church integrates with the community, hosting a vibrant tots morning Noah’s Ark on Tuesdays and regularly caters for 35 or more children along with their parents, as well as Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades on Thursday and Tuesday evenings and a Pop-In Café on Saturday mornings.
Peter Evans, of Queen Street Methodist Central Hall, said: “We are making sure our centenary year is a year to remember and we, along with our minister, Rev Graham Morgan, welcome visitors old and new.”