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

Ministers at Mount Tabor
The Mount Tabor Trusts
Rev. Pilott's Ministry at Mount Tabor
Rev. Percy Myers

1881 - Rev. John Wenn
1896 - Rev. W. S. Bosence
1897 - Rev. Harold McRow
1905 - Rev. James Annison
1907 - Rev. Arthur Hird
1910 - Rev. Ernest Smith
1914 - Rev. John J. Parlow
1917 - Rev. Hugh A. Devison
1919 - Rev. Benjamin Oliver
1921 - Rev. George H. Ireland
1922 - Rev. Owen Roebuck C.B.E.
1924 - Rev. Stephen Lane
1926 - Rev. Christopher Hutchinson
1927 - Rev. Waiter Bradshaw
1929 - Rev. Ernest J. Waring
1930 - Rev. Fred Humble
1931 - Rev. William Wall
1935 - Rev. Raymond Crozier
1938 - Rev. Albert Cowell
1940 - Rev. Victor J. Pilott - Click here to read an article on Rev Pilott
1943 - Pastor Thomas Counsell
1945 - Pastor Eric D. Lees
1947 - Pastor Colin Downs
1948 - Rev. Percy Myers - Click here to read an article on Rev Myers
1949 - Rev. Ronald H. Brown
1953 - Rev. Ronald L. Upton
1959 - Sister Doris Chaffer
1962 - Sister Janet Edwards
1963 - Sister Marjorie Maltby
1964 - Sister Dorothy Carey
1964 - Rev. John A. Parkins
1969 - Rev. Ronald Roper
1972 - Rev. John Wall
1977 - Rev. Eileen M. Wragg
1983 - Rev. Geoff M. Fisher
1987 - Rev. Nigel Young
1988 - Rev. David Fleming
1989 - Rev. Stephen Bales
1994 - Rev. David Whitehouse
2001 - Rev. Peter Cross
2003 - Rev. Mark T. Coles

The Mount Tabor Trusts

The responsiblity for Methodist Church buildings was vested in boards of local Trustees until 1977. The Trusts recorded for Mount Tabor start in 1939:

1939 Trust. Henry Phipps, Frederick Smith, Clarence Stevenson, Thomas Lewis, Arthur Greenwood, Ernest Priddle, William Heath, Ernest Aldridge, Percy Kirk, Cyril Smith, Harry Pitt, William Large.

1956 Trust. Frederick Smith, Clarence Stevenson, Thomas Lewis, Ernest Priddle, William Heath, Ernest Aldridge, Cyril Smith, William Large, Harry Pitt, Colin Greenwood, Roy Needham, James Richardson, John Hill, Arthur Monk.

1967 Trust. Clarence Stevenson, William Heath, Cyril Smith, Colin Greenwood, Roy Needham, James Richardson, John Hill, Arthur Monk, Eileen Hill, Jennie Needham, Maurice Moors, David Slater, Richard Laws, Glenis Moore, Thomas Bramall.

This was the final "trust" at Mount Tabor; because on 16th April 1977 managing Trusteeship automatically passed to the Church Council.

Rev. Pilott's Ministry at Mount Tabor

In December 2001, our internet guestbook was signed by Paul Pilott, the son of the late Rev. Victor Pilott, minister of our church from 1940 to 1943. Paul wondered if anyone had any recollections of his parents during their time at Mount Tabor.

Jack Hardwick kindly wrote the article below which was also sent to Paul.

As promised, I have gathered together some memories of Rev. Pilot's ministry in Brimington, assisted I might add, by Norma Greenwood, Geoff Thompson and Mervin Stubbins, who incidentally tells me he attended Rev Pilot's wedding in London.

I was in my mid-teenage years when he arrived in Brimington. I am told his first lodgings were on Brimington Common, the exact location is not known but soon afterwards he moved to Station Road and lodges with a Mrs Bonnett.

Those young people, a little older than I, were much more involved with him, but of course, his stay here, being wartime (1940-43) most of the young men of 18 and upwards were called to the forces, and by the time they were demobilised he had moved on, to Mosborough I believe.

I remember him as being a young man full of vitality and enthusiasm, which endeared him to those who could only have been a few years younger than him.

He was responsible for 5 Chapels in Brimington. 3 located in the centre of the village. Bethel was on Ringwood Road, since demolished to make way for the present Chapel on the same site, and Trinity, then referred to as the Wesleyans, now being used as the Community Centre. At the extreme south of the village is Brimington Common Chapel, still in use, and at the extreme North, our own Chapel Mount Tabor. So that from 5 Chapels in Rev. Pilotts ministry we are now reduced to 3.

Looking back it seems amazing that he could manage to care for all five, with Sunday Services plus midweek Christian Endeavour meetings along with his pastoral duties etc bearing in mind his only form of transport was a bicycle.

In addition to his ministerial duties he was instrumental in forming the Free Churches Youth Club. Young people from all 5 chapels being eligible to join, which in those days was a considerable number. The Club originally met in Zion schoolroom but later moved to Trinity, at which time, young people from Lowgates, Staveley were also welcomed as members. The Club met on Friday evenings, the subscriptions being "d (old currency) per week.

As you may imagine with the numbers involved, the room was a hive of activity. When I look back at the recreational facilities provided: Table Tennis, a small snooker/billiards table, darts and a few board games, I shudder to think what today's teenagers would think, and can imagine them being scornful of the easy way in which we were amused in those days. The centrepiece was the piano which always had a crowd round it singing. We always had two or three pianists on hand to keep the music flowing, apart from the minister, there was Geoff Thompson and Fred Wood (from Lowgates).

Rev. Pilott himself was an accomplished pianist, although Geoff tells me he did not read music, but after hearing a tune he could play it to perfection.

In addition to his other work among the young people he found time to organize a concert party from among the members. The concert party were called "The Gay Greys", the young men wore white shirts and grey flannels and the girls had white blouses and grey skirts. There was a good cross section of entertainers among them: comics, soloists, elocutionists and instrumentalists on various instruments, and sketches performed by party members. One item that sticks in my memory is that of Rev Pilott at the piano singing duets with Lillian Atherton, usually songs by Ivor Novello ending with "I'll see you again".

The Concert Party was a great success and performed at many chapels in the area, raising funds for those in financial difficulties. Bearing in mind is was wartime, and before the advent of television their concerts were always well attended.

During the summer months, the club had the use of a field, situated part way down Wheeldon Mill, accessed by a dirt track on the left of the hill going down. During the light nights volunteers managed to level the bumps out and constructed a tennis court, and football pitch. Norma recalls an abandoned bus on the site, which was used as a shelter during a shower and can remember sitting around eating fish and chips purchased from a local chip shop.

In addition to taking part in the work force, when he was able, Rev Pilott was also a skilful member of the football team according to Mervin Stubbins.

Easter and Whitsuntide holidays always featured youth club "hikes" into the Derbyshire countryside with the ever energetic minister in attendance (weddings and funerals permitting). The first part of this journey was by Hulleys Bus to either Baslow, Bakewell or Tideswell or any agreed point between and from then wherever the spirit took them.

Christmas Eve and New Years Eve Socials were a must, they were held in the various chapel schoolrooms in turn, and were always followed by a watchnight service in the church concerned. Here again, todays youth would ridicule the games we played on these occasions:- Spinning the Plate, The Farmer Wants a Wife, Musical Chairs, Passing the Parcel etc. all innocent and inoffensive fun, but enjoyed by all. When you consider all these activities in which Rev Pilott was actively involved, it is amazing how he managed to fit it all in.

Sadly after he left, his subsequent successors could not match his enthusiasm and charisma, and the youth activities began to go downhill. Having said that, the war intervened, members left to go into the forces and were different people when they returned, plus the fact that we were all growing older, so perhaps the criticism is a bit unfair.

One lasting result of Rev Pilotts ministry amongst us is that due to his work among the young people of that time, many lasting friendships were formed, often resulting in many happy and lasting marriages.

On reading through these recollections, I feel we were fortunate, in spite of wartime shortages and restrictions and indeed dangers, to have lived in such a close bound community within the churches and although the social life it gave us may seem rather childish and naive by todays standards, I think that the friendships formed then will have lasted longer than many formed by young folk today in the environment of the pubs and night clubs.

I may be wrong. I hope so.

Jack Hardwick

Rev. Percy Myers

In July 2004, we had an enquiry from Trish Myers from Auckland, New Zealand. Trish is researching her husbands family and found Rev Percy Myers' name in our list of ministers. Gerald Sawyer kindly provided the details below which have been sent to Trish.

Rev. Myers came to the Holywell Cross and Staveley Circuit as Superintendent Minister, in September 1945, with pastoral care of Chesterfield Holywell Cross, Chesterfield Stonegravels, Brimington Common, New Brimington Mount Tabor, New Whittington Wellington Street, and New Whittington Cross London Street Church Societies. As Superintendent, he was responsible for the general oversight of 19 churches with the support of 2 other ministers. The Circuit extended from the town centre in Chesterfield, North Eastwards, covering 9 villages. The main occupations were mining, iron founding and heavy industry with an important railway centre dealing with goods and passenger travel.

Holywell Cross was the second largest town centre church in Chesterfield with a membership approaching two hundred. Its members ranged from shopkeepers to postmen. Stonegravels was a small church less than a mile from Holywell Cross, which served the local suburbs. It had some thirty members Brimington Common was one of five Methodist churches in a village of just over ten thousand- It served a mainly working class community about a mile from the centre of the village. Membership was around forty. New Brimington Mount Tabor was a mile from the village in the opposite direction from Brimington Common. All the members were employed at Staveley iron works, one of them being a department manager. Membership was again around forty. New Whittington at that time had a population of around ten thousand, eighty of them on membership of the two churches.

Speaking personally I do not remember him well. However, he appeared to a young teenager to be a kindly, yet dignified gentleman. He was well thought of in the circuit as a good administrator as well as being a good pastor. I enjoyed his preaching.

On his retirement in Selby, he was a recipient of the Royal Maundy. Each year the reigning sovereign gives to a number of men and women a sum of money in relation to the sovereign's age. For example, this year Queen Elizabeth, being 78 years old, gave to 78 men and 78 women, 78 penny worth of tiny silver coins of the type in circulation 400 years ago. Their denominations are 1, 2, 3 & 4 pence. The Church chooses recipients from residents of the Diocese in which the distribution takes place on Maundy Thursday each year. They are selected for the work they have done in service to others. It is regarded as one of the highest honours to be bestowed on an ordinary person. Sadly the Holywell Cross Church was closed in December 1964, the final service being taken jointly by the writer and his wife. The congregation, which had dwindled to less than twelve merged with the nearby Central Church. Stongravels and Cross London street closed sometime in the late 1950's whilst Wellington Street remained open until the mid 1980's. The two Brimington Churches are still maintaining their Christian Witness.

Gerald Sawyer.

Extract from the Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits. (1. SRN. 187143 018) Born Walthamstow London 1891
Died April 16th 1974
Trained for the Primitive Methodist Ministry at Hartley College Manchester.
Served in the following Circuits; 1917 Selby Yorks, 1921 Beverley Yorks, 1923 Pickering Yorks, 1927 Bolton 1st Lancs, 1932 Derby 2nd 1936 Darwen Lancs, 1938 Kiveton Park S Yorks, 1945 Chesterfield (Holywell Cross and Staveley) Derbys., 1949 Blackheath Birmingham W Mids., 1954 Nottingham North, 1958 Selby Yorks (Supernumary).
For the length of his ministry, it was customary to be invited to an appointment for 3 years with extensions up to a maximum of 7. Rev Myers time in Kiveton covered the years of World War 2.