About
Grange – A Brief History
This year marks our 70th Church Anniversary. Here are some excerpts from historical paperwork (written in 1986 by Ray Martin, our original church secretary for 40 years, and updated by Ann Wells). It makes interesting reading.In the early 1950s Southcote was a new council estate with residents comprising of families with young children. There was huge potential for a Free Church in the area. Reading Congregational Churches were allocated a site in Circuit Lane purchased from the Reading Corporation for £500. Local Congregational Churches formed the Southcote Building Committee and found Christians in Southcote interested in starting a Free Church. Money had to be raised and plans drawn up for a building. At the same time Castle Street Congregational Church was expected to close and the proceeds from the sale were hall-marked for the new Southcote church. On 2nd December 1953 a commissioning service took place at Broad Street Congregational Church where volunteers were allocated the task of carrying out extensive house-to-house visitations in Southcote. Ten people expressed an interest in forming a church fellowship and many families said they would welcome a Sunday School. Prayers were answered when a local farmer, John Bucknell, made a hall at Southcote Grange Farm available. This was a former milking shed and the venue became affectionately known as “The Barn” and so, Grange was born! Worship was conducted by local ministers and lay preachers and two sessions of Sunday School were held each Sunday morning. Children were taught the books of the Bible by flannel-graph and a record attendance of 283 was recorded in July 1954.On 3rd November 1954 the church was covenanted and nine people came into membership. Encouraged by this, a full-time minister was appointed. Rev RogerHall, who was completing his studies at Western College, Bristol, was given a unanimous call which he accepted in January 1955 – truly remarkable, as at the time Grange had no proper building, a handful of members and only a promise of a council house for a Manse!Castle Street Congregational was finally closed and Grange was given £7,500towards building the Southcote Church. Other monies were raised by gifts and11covenants and eventually the church was built and opened on 8th November 1958, the total cost being £9,312.In 1965 an extension was needed and so a church hall was built for £4,000 and a Manse purchased for £3,500.In 1972 ‘Grange Free Church (Congregational) of Southcote’ covenanted to jointhe United Reformed Church of England and Wales (an amalgamation of the former Congregational and Presbyterian Churches).In 1980 Grange officially became part of a ‘Group of Churches’ with four others (Tilehurst, Theale, Pangbourne, Spencer’s Wood).In 1984 this group was split, with Grange becoming part of the ‘West of Reading Group of Churches’ with Theale and Pangbourne. After a successful partnership, the group was terminated in 1999 and a Joint Pastorate comprising of Grange and Tilehurst came about. In 2006 we were joined by St Andrew’s and the three churches have continued to work closely together. Over the years Grange has been served by a variety of ministers, each one bringing their own gifts, ideas and foresight into the work of Grange and the wider community. As we celebrate this anniversary, we remember our humble beginnings in ‘TheBarn’ – the birthplace of this church, not being unlike the birthplace of our Lord and Saviour.
We thank God for our past and look to Him for our future, asking for His continued blessing and guidance in the years ahead.
​Yvonne Randall
Grange United Reformed Church
Grange
United Reformed Church, Reading
Minister: Rev Robert Barthram
Tel: 0118 941 5097
Email: revbar@yahoo.com
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Chruch Tel (24hr answering machine): 0118 957 1318
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