St Nicholas
Fleetwood, Lancashire
St Nicholas is uniquely designed in the shape of an upturned prow of a boat, reflecting Fleetwood's maritime history.
The foundations of our building can be said to have been laid in the villages of North Staffordshire at the beginning of the 19th century. It was here, in 1807, that, out of John Wesley’s recently-formed Methodist Church and following a stirring among some of its members, the Primitive Methodist Church was set up.
In the 1840s, from this community, a number of families migrated to Fleetwood, at least some, it seems, by way of a period spent fishing in the Southport area (until they had been forced to move on with the channels becoming badly silted). The fellowship developed and grew and a small chapel, known as 'The Fishermen’s Church', was built, in 1855.
Within three or four years the church had left its previous location and moved to the Mount. The Memorial Hall (commemorating those from the church killed in the World Wars and, also, the life of another member, Percy Mather, who served for many years with the China Inland Mission) was added in 1931 and has now been impressively refurbished, while a Community Hall was added in 1974.
We sense, in these aging bricks and intricate carved work, a living, breathing presence in the town.