Mount Tabor Methodist Church
Victoria Street, New Brimington
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK

Minister: Rev. Mark T. Coles
Tel: 01246 472488

Lay Worker: Mrs Helen (Nel) Shallow
Tel: 01433 639771

Bits & Bobs
Wartime Memories
Little Bits of History

The Good Templar Lodge, a temperance organisation, met in the vestry at Mount Tabor for many years. The leader was a lady from Chesterfield who was helped by others from a strong core of Templars based at the Ragged School. It was a tough assignment however, there were some rough characters in New Brimington and there were some rowdy nights in that small vestry. To their credit the leaders persevered but finally admitted defeat and abandoned the project.

Henry Phipps was a grocer who kept the shop on the corner of High Street and John Street. He was a Trustee of Mount Tabor and his daughter accompanied Mrs. Tissington when she went preaching.

Brimington Post Office used to be opposite the Three Horse Shoes and was within the large house which still stands behind the Church. Further down High Street was Cutts on the Heywood Street corner and a small printers just below (Ringroses)

Mr. Fred Smith moved from Spital towards the end of the first war. Charles Markham was well disposed towards Fred because of his skill in draughtsmanship. At Markhams works he was Charlie I s right-hand man. At Staveley he was "Old Works" Manager. He had an incredibly fertile brain and some of his original engineering schemes survive today at Staveley Works. Being on call for work meant Fred was not always available to help in the Sunday School, but when Anniversary practices came round he was there with fiddle or zither to teach the hymns to the children. On Anniversary days a small organ was used for the singing stops in the Procession. This was purchased for 17/6d and was carried round by older boys or carried in Mr. Smith's large car. Charles Paxton Markham was born at Brimington Hall in 1865. He died in 1926.

The oldest red-brick house in Brimington stands just off High Street at the back of the electrical shop. The bricks were hand-pressed and the date over the door is 1763. At the back of the present Post Office was Calows, a wheelwright's shop. In the yard and used in the metal works were two wells, part of a chain of wells starting at Brimington Common, on the Westwood side.

Wartime Memories

Upon the outbreak of the last war Mr. Fred Smith arranged to buy roller blinds and fix strips of wood on the sides of the windows to meet blackout requirements.

On September 9th, 1941 Derbyshire Education Committee asked for the loan of vestries in the event of a blitz in the district for anyone who was rendered homeless. The request was granted.

On 17th June 1941 it was decided not to purchase a stirrup pump because the Victoria Street Firewatchers would deal with fires caused by incendiary bombs in return for the loan of the vestry each week for fire and first aid practice.

The Air Raid Warden was notified that keys to the Church could be obtained at 50 Station Road - Mr. Larges, and 60 Queen Street - Mr. Priddles.

In 1942 a Renovation Fund was launched with £12, the work to be done "As soon after the war as possible".

A retiring collection in 1942 was used to send a Christmas gift "to all our young people who were with us when entering service for our country".

In 1944 the Trust was "having difficulty with some youths molesting evening meetings and sometimes Sunday services, and with doing wilful damage to windows and doors by throwing stones". After a discussion it was thought best to warn children in the Sunday School on this matter and if it persisted then police prosecution would be resorted to.

So thronged was the Sunday School in the war years that two morning sessions were held - 9.30 - 10.45 for the Primary and 10.45 - 12 noon for the Juniors. Then the few hard worked staff had to return for the afternoon school.

Little Bits of History

TEN-GOAL PAYNE - Joe Payne, a former Brimington Common resident, was the only man ever to score ten times in a Football League match when Luton Town beat Bristol Rovers 12-0 on Easter Monday 1936. Joe died on April 22nd, 1975

STAVELEY WORKS MONKEY - Fred Smith used to tell the story of how the 14 inch high monkey weather vane on the General Office Tower has a hinged copper tail - when the Company mode a loss, it was down, but up when it was in profit.

MOUNT PUD REVISITED - The Derbyshire Times of Feb.20th had a photo of our childhood adventure playground "Mount Pud" or Pudding, for it resembled a suet pudding. It was an old Staveley Works Tip, behind and to the right of the Railway Social Club on Station Road. It was flattened during the winter of 1960/1. At that time Mr. Large (then retired) lived at No.50 with Mrs Large in a wheelchair, they watched the tip disappear.