The first church was known locally as the Chapel.
A polychrome effect has been achieved with brickwork to highlight the arched windows and on the building corners to give the appearance of long and short quoins.
The larger church opened in 1904, after which the smaller church became the Sunday school. From around 1925 until the opening of the Health Clinic on Church Road during 1939, the clinic was held on the Sunday School premises.
Members of the Croft family have a long association with Thornton and Methodism. Rebecca Croft and Bradshaw Croft were some of the first members of Thornton’s Methodist Society who used Nanny Greenwoods Cottage, believed to be in the vicinity of Marsh Road, to worship. The first Thornton Chapel being built in 1812. The Croft name lives on in Thornton today with many descendants still living in the area.
Picture by Mike Pollard 2007
Before the Fleetwood Road chapel was built in 1879, Mr. Croft held services in his kitchen here at 191 Fleetwood Road North. The cottage is shown above.
The old picture postcard below, dated 1903, shows Fleetwood Road Methodist Church. At that time Fleetwood Road was an unmade road.
Picture Postcard
The church has now closed its doors for the purpose of worship and combined congregations with Thornton’s other Methodist church at Wignall.
The building is about to experience a change of use and become offices with no detrimental effect to its exterior or its dominant contribution to the local streetscene.