A History of St Edmund’ s Chapel – 1248 to the present day
St Edmund’s Chapel is
dedicated to Edmund of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1233 to 1240, who
was canonized in 1246.
Around 1248, Nicholas de Farnham, Bishop of Durham founded
a chapel and hospital, of which St Edmund’s is the surviving building.The
hospital was chiefly intended for the ‘refreshment of the soul’. A master and
three priests were appointed to celebrate four masses every day. Mediaeval
hospitals also cared for the sick and aged, the poor and the pilgrim, but St
Edmund’s Hospital records are silent on this aspect of its work.
By 1325 buildings included a buttery, kitchen, brew house, granary, byre, pigsty
and the chapel which would have been the focus of life.
In 1448 the chapel passed into the hands
of the nuns of St Bartholomew, Newcastle. They had run into financial difficulties
and the Bishop of Durham appropriated to them the hospital and all its possessions
on condition that the nuns provided two chaplains to celebrate in the chapel,
kept the buildings in good repair, and paid a yearly pension to the Bishop and
Prior of Durham. When the monasteries were dissolved by Henry V111, the nunnery
and its lands were surrendered to the crown. This was in 1540, and for two
centuries the history of St Edmund’s Chapel is closely associated with two
families, the Riddells and the Claverings.
William Riddell was related to the last
Prioress by marriage and he bought the hospital lands and built a mansion just
to the east of the chapel in the late 16th century.The next generation
of Riddells converted to Roman Catholicism and the mansion became a centre for
Jesuit mission.The Claverings were also staunch Roman Catholics, and a succession
of chaplains served in the private chapel within the mansion. The Chapel was not
used for worship. In those times of intolerance and persecution, that would have
been too dangerous.In 1746 the mansion was burnt to the ground by an angry mob.
The Chapel was already in ruins by this time and at the turn of the 19th
century it was used as a builders yard. A man called Cuthbert Ellison acquired
the land in 1836 and the Chapel was given to the Rector and Churchwardens of
Gateshead. It was restored for divine service in October 1837 as Holy Trinity
Chapel.
Gateshead’s population grew and ironically, the Chapel was threatened with
demolition in the 1880’s because a bigger building was required.Instead of
demolition, the north wall was removed and the chapel turned into the south aisle
of a new church dedicated to the Holy Trinity in 1894-6. Holy Trinity was declared
redundant in 1969 but the Chapel was partitioned off and used for weekday services
and private prayer. Sunday services restarted in the Chapel in 1981 after the parish
church of St Mary’s was destroyed by fire. It reverted to its original name of St
Edmund’s Chapel.
The Victorian addition to the church was leased to Gateshead Council
and became a Community Centre.
A History of St James & St Bede's
St James and St Bede's Church Centre has a relatively short but none the less rich and interesting history that reflects the congregations' response to the challenges of being a church in today's world.
Today it is a church that meets in what was the hall of the now demolished Venerable Bede Church, in the heart of the Sunderland Road community. the congregation was formed from those of the Venerable Bede Church and St James' Church (also now demolished and where the Vauxhall Garage stands at the corner of St James' Street.) The congregations were of very different traditions and wonderfully came together in 1982 under the leadership of the Vicar, Revd. Tom Jamieson, to give the present congregation its unique and diverse character.
We have a wonderful building that has been completely modernised ofer the last eight years (from 1996 to the present day). Its 'small and local' character welcomes many from the local and wider community and the actual building suprises many by its varied and flexible use.
The whole of St James & St Bede's building has been further restored in three phases over a period of 8 years giving us a wonderfully versatile building that will serve us all well as we face the challenge of mission and ministry in the years ahead.
Building improvements at St James & St Bede's have happened more recently in three phases:
The first phase was the refurbishment of the central worhsip area (in the mid 1990's under Canon Hazel Ditchburn's leadership) that made a cold, draughty and dark hall into an attractive, warm and versatile space.
The second was the development of the cellar and garden areas at the south end of the building into a thriving Family Centre (2000), now registered as an independent charity that employs seven part-time staff and is continuing to develop. This operates five days a week for pre-school children.
Finally, the significant improvements (2004) to the north end of the building, which is used daily for many community, parish and deanery groups. There is a large, well-equipped, newly-built kitchen, new toilets and good access for children in buggies and people with a disability. there is a small new reception office and a refurbished Community Room with comfortable chairs and an efficient heating system.
The full restoration of the building enables us to operate as a 'seven days a week' church and there is rarely a day when the church building is not in use.
Apart from regular and varied worship at the core of our life as followers of Jesus Christ, the building has many stories to tell about its use. It has been transformed into a 'restaurant' for a Harvest Supper, held a 'Sponsored Bounce' barbeques, 'pizza and video' events for young people, a popular 'sleep-over' for the Homework club, a pantomime production, concerts, parties, courses for learning and a host of other occasions that welcome people from the area.
It is a wonderful call from God to share the good things he has given us with others and to have our doors open into what we pray will be the journey of a lifetime - the journey of Faith - and for the privilege of seeing God's Kingdom come among us.
"Do not be afraid little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom" (Luke 12:32)
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