Trinity Methodist, Morecambe

Morecambe’s Trinity Methodist Church, now closed, was once a jewel in the crown. A seafront location in a then fashionable district of a resort which happened to be a Methodist stronghold, it would have attracted well-heeled holiday makers from around the country. Unusually for a nonconformist chapel it has a rather splendid bell tower (without bells, of course) flanked by turrets with lead spirelets, nicely topped with a matching steeple. Back in 1897, this would have been a desirable church to attend and belong to, its ministers thrilled to occupy so plush a pulpit, the summer crowds hailing and celebrating their wonderful preaching ministries, mid-week lantern shows and temperance tea parties.

As the twentieth century wore on and foreign holidays became the norm, poor Morecambe became poorer Morecambe, unable to compete with Blackpool, its southerly neighbour, much less the sunny beaches of Iberia and the Med. The town's West End became somewhat rundown, the grand Victorian houses subdivided up into bedsits and low-rental flats. The writing was on the wall for the posh Methodists of Trinity; as their denomination’s decline matched Morecambe’s, it was certain to close.

I recall coming here as a teenager back in 1996. I had been asked, along with a couple of others, to attend a midweek ‘Guild Meeting’ and describe to the auditors the Christian Union we had started at school. A couple of dozen older folk were present, who were all polite and friendly, including a Mr Hinton who advised me that Jesus’ Second Coming had already occurred, having taken place at Pentecost. Such a belief was nonsense then as it is now, though I lacked the confidence to challenge him with anything more than a look of puzzlement and some curious questions.

Morecambe might be reborn this century. Things are slowly improving, eyesores have been removed and plans for a huge Eden Project dome are more than mere possibilities. Will the grand Victorian Methodist Church on the prom also enjoy a renaissance, a second lease of life to accompany the town’s rising from the ashes?

No. Morecambe still has its beautiful bay, its shiny arcades, its candyfloss stalls; without the gospel, Methodism has nothing. 

And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 1 Samuel 4:22

A  D