The Methodist Church in Cumbria

Keswick and Cockermouth Circuit

Cockermouth Methodist Church (Lorton Street)

Lorton Street, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9RH

The Methodist Church is on Lorton Street, close to the town centre, grid reference NY122304.

Sunday services with all-age Junior Church at 10.45 weekly.

3rd Tuesday monthly at 11.30 - Communion service

The Church Foyer is open each morning for coffee from 10am until 12 noon

There are several house groups, ask Sue for details.

Women's Fellowship, Wednesdays at 2.30pm (September to June).

Toddlers meet on Thursdays at 9.15

3rd Saturday monthly: Charity lunches (September to March) from 11.30am.

To hire the extensive fully refurbished premises contact Norman Howarth.

Hire conditions can be found here.

Latest Recordings, Orders of Service and Notice Sheets

News about Mary Platt Preschool

Latest AGM report

History

John Wesley (1703-91), the founder of the Methodist Church, often visited Cockermouth, mainly when passing to and from Whitehaven on the Cumbrian coast. He preached many times in the Market Place, and by 1763 a Wesleyan cause was started with 19 members. On one occasion Wesley was invited to preach at the Independent Chapel on Main Street. In 1796 a Cockermouth cooper, George Robinson, built a meeting house and sold it to the Wesleyans for £70. The building, on High Sand Lane, remains and is now called the Victoria Hall. At that time the church was part of the Whitehaven Wesleyan Circuit and remained so until 1840 when transferred to the Workington Circuit.

In 1841 the Wesleyans moved to Market Place, to a new and larger chapel (left). They sold the old chapel to the Primitive Methodists, who had rented it for 9 years, in 1851.

The Cockermouth Wesleyans continued to develop and in 1914 they bought a site with the intention of building a new set of premises. This was on Lorton Street, but is was not until 1932 that the new church was opened and the old church sold to the Urban District Council the following year for £325 and now serves the local councils and acts as the Tourist Information Centre.

Over the years the building has been altered, but principally in 2000 when the hall and other rooms were completely refurbished and extended, offering a valuable asset to groups in the community seeking accommodation. Present users include a pre-school, parent and toddlers group, the U3A, ballet and music groups for children, uniformed organisations, the Cockermouth Mechanics Band, ante-natal and new parent support groups.

The present membership of the church is 165.

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