Swinton Manchester Road Primitive Methodist chapel

The 1891 Primitive Methodist magazine reports the laying of the memorial stones for Manchester Road Primitive Methodist chapel in Swinton. Encouragingly, they had already raised the full cost of building by that point. Many Prim chapels struggled to raise the 50% of cost they were required to raise by the opening.

The building is still  in use as a place of worship by The King’s Church.

When this page was created, I asked “What is its story?”  Thanks to David Roughley for setting out more of the story.  You can read more about Jonathan Gerrard in the document below:

Manchester Road Primitive Methodist Church, Swinton, Manchester was first opened in 1871 by Jonathan Gerrard who paid £200 for the redundant Presbyterian Chapel. He quickly converted it into a Primitive Methodist Chapel becoming known as Swinton Bar Primitive Methodist, serving the community until 1891 when a new church building at a cost of £1, 250 was opened.  Known locally as ‘Gerrard’s Chapel’ it closed in 2019.

The building today has been radically refurbished opening in the Autumn of 2023 as a community work hub with podcast studios. The building now being known as The Ministry of Work (still keeping the religious theme).

Jonathan Gerrard 1834 -1906 (who was very friendly with Sir William Hartley) was the founding father of one of the UK’s largest construction company’s having built over 65 churches to their name, J. Gerrard & Sons Ltd aka Gerrard’s of Swinton. The Methodist Albert Halls in Peter Street, Manchester was a Gerrard’s Build.

Thanks to Jackie Walter for the picture of  the presentation trowel used at the memorial stone laying for the new Sunday School at Manchester Road Primitive Methodist chapel.  The trowel has the inscription ‘Presented to Miss Beatrice A. Barnett on laying a memorial stone of the Primitive Methodist New Sunday Schools, Manchester Road, Swinton, May 13th 1899. Her brother, Jackie’s Grandpa, ran a cloth singeing works in Salford.