A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



The first nonconformist meetings at Buckhurst Hill 

 took place soon after the extension of the railway from 

 Woodford. In i860 Mr. Gingell, of Hill Farm, Buck- 

 hurst Hill, a Baptist missioner at Epping, built two 

 cottages near his home. In one of them his daughters 

 opened a Sunday school.'* About 1863 he built a 

 mission room in Alfred Road, where he and Noah 

 Heath held services, assisted by students from Spur- 

 geon's College, London.'" In 1864 the Woodford 

 Congregational Church started a Sunday school at 

 Buckhurst Hill.*° Congregational services were 

 opened soon after this in a room next door to the 'Bald 

 Faced Stag' and also at the house of a Mr. Straker, 

 'Fairlands', Epping New Road.*" In 1866 all the 

 above missions united to form the Buckhurst Hill Con- 

 gregational Church. In that year a schoolroom was 

 opened in Palmerston Road, at a cost oC £l^.So for the 

 land and £1,700 for the building.*^ About £1,500 

 was already promised by supporters of the new 

 church.'s The church was at first associated with that 

 at Woodford, but in 1868 William Dorling came 

 to Buckhurst Hill as the first minister.*'' Three years 

 later he left the church after a disagreement with some 

 of the members and took part of the congregation with 

 him to form the King's Place Independent Church 

 (see below). In 1872 W. H. Charlesworth became 

 minister at Palmerston Road and in 1 874 a new church 

 was built there at a cost of £6,ooo.*5 Charlesworth 

 remained until 1890. In 1904 there were 75 church 

 members, 80 Sunday school pupils, and 10 teachers.** 

 A new organ was installed in 1907 at a cost of £350 

 and in 191 3 the schoolroom was enlarged.*' In 19 14 

 there were 100 members, 65 pupils, and 11 teachers.** 

 The church celebrated its jubilee in 1924 and a brief 

 history was compiled to mark the event.*' In 1925 

 there were 117 members, 160 pupils, and 20 teachers.'''' 

 A mission station was opened at Roding Valley in 1948 

 and in 1952 the church had in all 164 members, 140 

 pupils, 1 8 teachers, and 2 lay preachers. The minister, 

 the Revd. N. F. Perry had been there since 1947." 



The church is an imposing stone building consisting 

 of nave, chancel (facing north), transepts, and south 

 tower with pinnacles. Behind it to the north is the 

 earlier schoolroom, of red brick with a slate roof. 



In 1 87 1 the Revd. W. Dorling seceded from 

 Palmerston Road and took some of the members with 

 him to form the King's Place Independent Church. 

 He was a man of strong character and advanced 

 thought, a powerful preacher and an able writer for 

 Tie Christian World. His resignation from Palmerston 

 Road was the result of a controversy that had arisen 

 within that church concerning the doctrine of the 

 'larger hope', of which Dorling was a strong advocate. 

 This doctrine was distasteful to part of his congregation, 



which preferred that of eternal punishment. Among 

 his supporters, however, was a large and influential 

 section of the church.'^ These people acquired a site 

 at the other (east) end of Palmerston Road opposite 

 King's Place and there built an iron church which was 

 opened in October 1871. Dorling was appointed 

 'Pastor of the said chapel for life or until he should 

 voluntarily resign the . . . ofiice'.'-s The King's Place 

 church was known locally as 'Mr. Dorling's church'. 

 It is remarkable that those who contributed to its 

 erection were largely those who had subscribed towards 

 the original building at Palmerston Road in 1866.'-* 



Dorling remained pastor at King's Place for 3 5 years, 

 retiring in 1906. He died in I9I2.'5 His congrega- 

 tion had in 1887 built a brick church on the site, ap- 

 parently retaining the original iron church until 1900, 

 when they sold it to the Baptists. After Dorling's retircr 

 ment the brick church was also sold to become the 

 Palmerston Road Baptist Church (see below). The 

 proceeds of the latter sale went to Cheshunt College, 

 where Dorling had been trained for the ministry.'* 



The Queen's Road Baptist Church, Buckhurst Hill, 

 was formed about 1861, when the Revd. H. Cousens 

 became minister." In 1866 a church was built at a 

 cost of £1,200, with accommodation for 250.'* In 

 1869 there were 37 members.'' Cousens remained 

 until 1885, and was succeeded by the Revd. E. G. 

 Ince, who came from Australia.*" Soon after 1890 the 

 church was closed.*' It later became known as Buck- 

 hurst Hill Hall and was used for public meetings and 

 entertainments. It was enlarged in 1912.*^ It is now 

 used as a branch of the County Library. It is a small 

 red-brick building. 



Soon after the closing of the Queen's Road Baptist 

 Church meetings were resumed by some of the mem- 

 bers under the leadership of Noah Heath. They hired 

 Rigg's Retreat, Princes Road, from 1894 to 1897 and 

 in 1899 founded a church, with the Revd. J. R. Cox 

 as minister. *3 In 1902 an iron building was erected in 

 Princes Road. The church lost some members soon 

 after this to the Palmerston Road Baptist Church (see 

 below).*'' In 1906 Cox was succeeded by his son F. A. 

 Cox and in 19 10 there were 55 members, 70 children 

 in the Sunday school, and 7 teachers.*' By 1930 there 

 were only 25 members, 45 children, and 3 teachers.** 

 From 1924 to about 1933 F. .A.. Cox was again minister, 

 but the church appears to have closed about 1934.*' 

 It stood near the west end of Princes Road on the north 

 side.** 



The Baptist church, Palmerston Road, Buckhurst 

 Hill, was founded in 1900, when the iron building 

 that had been the original King's Place Congregational 

 Church was bought by the London Baptist Associa- 

 tion.*' Many early adherents came from the Princes 



5' G. Teverson, Brief Chronicle of so 

 Tears Service^ i8y4—ig24 (a history of 

 Palmerston Rd. Congregational Church, 

 Buckhurst Hill) ; W. T. Whitley, Baptists 

 of hondon^ 189. 



5^ Ibid. For the later history of the 

 Alfred Road Hall see below. 



'° A. G. Kidd, 'The Pioneers'. 



" Essex Congr. Union Rep, 1866; G. 

 Teverson, Brief Chronicle. 



^^ Teverson, op. cit. 



'' Essex Congr. Union Rep. 1866. 



'* Congr. Tear Bk. 1867, 1868, 1869. 

 Mr. A. W. Dorling of Woodford Green, 

 grandson of the Revd. W. Dorling, now 

 owns the original letter inviting his grand- 

 father to Palmerston Road at an annual 



sa/ary of ,^300, guaranteed for the first 

 three years. ^s Teverson, op. cit. 



<>*> Ibid.; Congr. Year Bk. 1904. 



67 Teverson, op. cit. 



'8 Congr. Year Bk. 19 14. 



<"> G. Teverson, Brief Chronicle of 50 

 Years Service. 



'» Congr. Year Bk. 1925. i 



" Ibid. 1952. 



'2 Inf. from Mr. A. W. Dorling. 



" Ibid.; Congr. Year Bk. 1913 (obit, of 

 Revd. W. Dorling). 



'4 Inf. from Mr. A. W. Dorling. 



75 Ibid. A note on his career was printed 

 in Congr. Year Bk. 1 9 1 3 ; The Christian 

 PVorld 2 Apr. 193 1 contained a note on 

 the centenary of his birth. '* Ibid. 



" Bapt. Handhk. 1 869 ; W. T. Whitley, 

 Baptists of London., 189. 

 '8 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1886). 

 '9 Bapt. Handhk. 1869. 

 80 W\nt\ey, Baptists of London, 189. 

 8" Kelly's Dir. Essex {i%()^). 



82 Ibid. 1933. 



83 W. T. Whitley, Baptists of London, 

 2+4. 84 Ibid. 



85 Bapt. Handhk. 1910. 



8* Ibid., 1930. It seems possible that the 

 church was closed for a time about 19 17— 

 20 : Whitley, Baptists of London, 244 ; 

 Bapt. Handhk. 1916-20. 



8' Bapt. Handhk. 1933, 1934. 



88 O.S. 6 in. Map ( 1 92 1 edn.), sheet Ixix. 



"> Whitley, Baptists of London, 249. 



36 



