The physical building of the Barrow Baptist Church in Beveridge Street is 200 years old this year but, as I discovered when I met up with Sharon Bradwell and Reverend Neil Jones, the history of Baptist worship in Barrow and the Soar Valley is much older than that.

On the 13th of April 1822, local blacksmith William Whyman, sold a plot of land on Beveridge Street (for £28. 4s 9d … that’s roughly £28.25p) and the foundation stones of the Baptist church were laid.  Baptist worship in Barrow, though, has a longer history than that.

Barrow Baptists originally had to travel to Loughborough for meetings but some time between 1792 and 1796 meetings started in a barn opposite the current site of the Baptist Church.  Early records show that the meetings attracted a range of residents including farmers, a lace manufacturer, a grocer and a school teacher, shoe makers and weavers and the family of someone designated as a ‘yeoman’ (usually someone who worked their own plot of land).  Records show that on 5th February, 1860 Lydia Lovett of Bridge Street was baptised into the church.

In these early years there were about 50 regular members of the church but numbers increased and a minister was soon needed: the first minister, James Drewitt Alford, was appointed in 1896.  The old baptistry was rediscovered in the1980s when the front of the church building was renewed.

The main church buildings were completed in 1876 and the original church became the Sunday School rooms.  This was then demolished in 1926 and rebuilt to make room for the present Sunday School rooms. 

In the 1920s (until his death some two decades later) Mr R H Bennett took the post of choirmaster. He was also a deacon, superintendent and Sunday School teacher.  We have some fabulous memories, from the late Mrs Dorothy Hudson (whose daughter, Sue Graham and granddaughter, Lucy Elms are still actively involved with the Barrow Baptist Church), of her time attending Sunday School during those years:

“The room each Sunday afternoon was filled … the youngest sitting at the front and ranging to young men and women up to the age of about 21 years.  The boys on one side and the girls on the other, all sitting on wooden forms with teachers by their sides…  Morning school began at 10.00 am, this was led from the front by one teacher, and at a quarter to eleven we would move into the church for the morning service.  Until we reached 11 years of age we could leave before the sermon, but after that we were expected to stay.”

Dorothy described the highlight of her year being the presentation of books, saying “maybe it was our only book of the year”.  Members of the church received a Presentation Bible when they reached 21 years old (lowered to 16 years in 1937).

Church in those days wasn’t just for Sunday.  Dorothy said it became like a second home with meetings during the week, depending on the time of the year: “we learned scripture for a yearly examination; there were sewing and handicraft classes; we shared in fun as we … participated in a yearly concert.  This was our life and we loved to be sharing and part of it all.”

During the 2nd World War, the Navy, Army and Airforce Institutes (NAAFI) used the schoolroom and if necessary, services were only held in the evening as there was no blackout for the church windows.

‘The Gap’ was completed in 1994 and many village people will remember it as the venue for the very popular mother and toddler group complete with a range of craft activities for the children, tea and chat for the mothers (yes, it was mothers and some grandmothers in those days) and puppet shows for all.  Most recently an area has been covered to connect The Gap with the chapel.

Bi-centenary events planned for 2022 aim to integrate all the people of Barrow with church members in celebration of this shared village heritage including taking part in the June Barrow Open Gardens event.  There are also special events planned, like the 200 Bible readings (from both Old and New Testaments) beginning in May and continuing until the beginning of Advent; open-air concert with music of worship through the centuries in August and a gospel choir in November.

If you have any memories or photographs of the Baptist Church or you want to find out more about the anniversary events, please contact: office@barrowbaptist.org.uk  or watch out for information on their webpages: https://barrowbaptist.org.uk/

With thanks to Sharon Bradwell and Barrow upon Soar Heritage Group

Karisa Krcmar