History
History
A great deal of the history of the northern part of Wardle lies buried in the unrecorded and forgotten past. It is difficult now to imagine Wardle in the 1850’s as an isolated hamlet with nothing more than a glorified cart track joining it to Halifax Road.
It was, however, at a cost of £2759-2-6d that St. James’ Church was built. The corner stone was laid on Friday 16th February 1856 with the consecration service, held by the then Lord Bishop of Manchester on January 21st 1858.
At that time St. James’ Church Wardle could proudly boast the claim to be ”the white church on the hill”. There was no other church between it and Holy Trinity, Littleborough, between it and St. James’, Wardleworth and between it and St. Peters’, Walsden.
However this was not quite the whole story. For this we need to go back to 1744, twelve months before Bonnie Prince Charlie made his ill fated attempt on the throne. The call went out to William Darney of Rossendale to come to Wardle preaching repentance and bringing the Good News.
A certain John Leech was so inspired that he became ordained at the London Conference of 1774. Later as a Supernumerary he sought to make his dearest wish of a chapel in Wardle come true.
He died in 1810 aged 74 after the “Wardle Fold Society” was formed, meeting, where? Over the “Spring Garden Inn” Wardle Fold. It is said that the most famous preacher was John Wesley himself.
It was on such a foundation and against such a background Methodism was to grow in Wardle and at a Trustee meeting in 1872 a resolution was passed for the erection of a new chapel as soon as practically possible. The foundation stone was laid on Good Friday 1873 and the opening day was Wednesday 8th April 1874 by the President of the Conference Rev. G.T.Perks.
Upon the acquisition of land for Watergrove reservoir the amalgamation of Watergrove Chapel occurred in 1933 and the last major renovation took place in April 2008.
Quoting the Rev. K. Porter in 1990,"we have a solemn duty to be faithful to God and our fellows. I believe and trust that we can and will meet the challenge, that God’s glory will be revealed in Wardle”. Thus in 1993 the amalgamation of St. James’ Church and Wardle Chapel came into being with a new name.
Wardle Village Church was created as an L.E.P.. A unique experience rising to the challenge of a united congregation, almost 250 years after that first meeting at Dobbin farm.