Following the carrying out of extensive renovation and decoration work at Park-road Baptist Church, Rushden, successful re-opening services were held on Sunday last.

Inside the church (taken from a microfilm reader)

The church had been in the hands of the decorators for some time and the members of the church, have, by a happy arrangement with the Independent Wesleyans, been joining with members of that church, for united services in the High-street building. This arrangement was carried out for four weeks, but now the members of the Baptist Church are united in their own building once more, with its now beautifully decorated interior, at a date almost exactly thirty years after the church was first opened, the opening services having been held on Feast Monday, September 23rd 1901.

There have been extensive exterior renovations to the Bath stonework which has suffered severely from the effects of the weather during the past 30 years, and in certain places stonework has been completely replaced where found to be necessary.

The interior of the building has been completely re-decorated. The walls and roof have been coloured cream and a wealth of mural painting has been introduced with a very pleasing effect.

Blue and silver with a relieving introduction of gold is the colouring of the organ pipes, which are painted in alternate sets; and as a colour contrast has also been extended to the pillars of the church and the supporting ironwork of the pulpit rails. The wooden arches have been brightened with white.

Woodwork and Windows

An experiment in connection with the decoration of the woodwork has led to extensive painting in that direction and now the whole of the woodwork is to be dark brown. The pulpit and the front of the choir gallery were first painted in this colour and the scheme was later extended to the entire gallery with the result that this part of the woodwork is in distinct contrast to the seats on the ground floor. These are also to be coloured brown to bring the whole of the woodwork into harmony, and a very pleasing effect should result. This, and some work in connection with the renovation of the windows is all that remains to be done to complete the whole scheme.

New windows have been placed in the south side of the church, and work is in hand with those on the north side. The windows yet to be done include two large ones in the front of the church facing Crabb-street, and these may not be completed before November. New frames and new glass are being put to all the new windows, which are far more artistic and a great improvement on the old ones.

An additional part of the scheme of renovation is the provision of new heating apparatus in the choir vestry, where a number of week-day meetings are held, and this has proved completely satisfactory.

The whole of the decorations have been carried out to the designs of the late Mr. W. Talbot Brown, the well-known Wellingborough architect, who took a great interest in the work and spent considerable time upon it. The first part of the work was carried out under his direction and the latter stages were supervised by the late Mr. Brown’s partner, Mr. Paul Panter. The contractor is Mr. Robert Marriott, of Rushden.

£400 Still Needed

The church has been decorated once previously about 1912 – although that scheme was not nearly as ambitious as the one just being completed.

On one former occasion too, the congregation have joined with another church, not being able to use their own building whilst a new boiler for the heating apparatus was being installed. On that occasion the members went to the Park-road Wesleyan Church.

A word regarding the financial side of the venture: It was planned to raise a sum of £1,500 and this, with the exception of £400, is now to hand. Various organisations have laboured willingly to raise money for the fund and the success of their efforts is readily apparent. It is hoped to raise the balance of the money at a bazaar to be held in the near future. It may be mentioned that part of the money raised has been devoted to the liquidation of the debt on the church Recreation Field at the top of Allen-road.

Mr. F. J. Sharwood, C.C., has been the secretary for the Fund, but the effort may be described as a really combined venture for many members have contributed to the work according to their ability to do so.

Mention has been made of the fact that it is almost exactly thirty years since the church was opened, and in this connection it is pleasing to record that there are still a number of members of the congregation who took part in that historic event in Rushden church history.

Those who were leaders of the church in those days have passed away but there still remain some who remember September 23rd, 1901.

Sunday Services

The minister or the church, the Rev. T. W. Gill, occupied the pulpit on Sunday at the re-opening services.

At the morning service he took as his text, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the House of the Lord,’ “and in the course of his address stressed the necessity of corporate worship.

“When we enter the sanctuary,” he said “we get a sort of self-control, a soothing of our nerves and of our spirits, and when we arise we remind ourselves of the vast resources that are ours.”

When they agreed to renovate the church it was with a desire to make the House of God beautiful, and not a desire to make a display. It was a desire to make it worthy of His dwelling place, and worthy as the place of His abode. God was worthy of their best. They made their homes beautiful; they lavished them, and extended them. Was the House of God less than these?

At this service the choir sang the “Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s “Mount of Olives” and “Now thank we all our God’ was used as the introit.

In the afternoon the monthly Communion was held. At the evening service when there was a large congregation, the anthem rendered was “Sing Unto God” (Handel), and at the conclusion of the service, the recital on the organ was given by Mr. J. Lindsay Clipson, A.R.C.O. The programme included: Festive march, Smart; Overture “Poet and Peasant,” Suppe; Andantino, Sibelius; Intermezzo (founded on Irish Air), Stanford, “Maestoso,” and “Sicilian Melody” (varied), Chipp.

Miss Dora Clark gave vocal solos.