(This was a recent Facebook Post – from external sources)

“Montrose Avenue Methodist Church and School formerly known as Montrose, later known as St Margaret’s.

The Methodist church in Montrose Avenue was built in 1937 and formed part of the Luton Circuit. Impact! is a booklet detailing the history of Methodism in Luton up to the time of its writing in 1962.

It has a chapter on Saint Margaret’s written by T. Hewitt, extracts from which are quoted below:

“The development of this area from the mid-1920’s had been very rapid indeed, but Methodists of the period had the foresight to see the possibilities. In 1925 they purchased a piece of land, at the corner of Montrose Avenue and Blenheim Crescent, at a cost of £600”.

At the time of the Methodist Union [in 1932], the Superintendent Minister, Rev. S. E. Coley, called together representatives from a number of Methodist Churches to discuss the possibility of building a Church on this site. It was reported that a sum of £342 11s 9d. had been received from the Will of the late Harry Burgoyne and £135 3s. 0d. being half the proceeds of the sale of a site in the Limbury district which had been purchased and not developed. Such was the small beginning of a project which was to prove a complete justification of the faith of the Twelve Trustees appointed in 1932”.

“Early in 1934 the Trustees decided to obtain sketch plans for a suite of premises to be built. In April 1934, under the chairmanship of Rev. Joshua Holmes, they met again to consider whether or not to change to a new site. It was felt by many that the site at the corner of Montrose Avenue and Saint Margaret’s Avenue offered greater possibilities than the one the Trustees had purchased. To change sites was no easy matter and not until April 1935 did the actual exchange take place. Having secured the site the Trustees invited the Architects, Messrs. Franklin and Briars, to prepare plans for a Church and Sunday School”.

“Several schemes were prepared, one included a square tower, at the Montrose Avenue end of the building, in which there were to be three rooms above one another. They were intended for the use of the Girl Guides, Boys’ Brigade and the Youth Club on the top floor. The scheme was not approved. The plans in their final state were approved in May 1936 and later the same year the tender of the Alliance Building Company was accepted”.

“In the midst of a thunderstorm on the 17th March, 1937, the foundation stones were laid, 46 in all, on behalf of the Churches of the circuit, by representatives of the Anglican Church and in memory of Mr. T. H. Burgoyne who was largely responsible for the inauguration of the project”.

“The opening of the Church was fixed for the 27th October 1937, but, unfortunately, in July it was found that the builders would not be able to complete the work and alternative arrangements had to be made. In addition to increasing the cost of the building there was a delay in completion, which meant a postponement of the opening until 1st December 1937”.

“The Sunday School buildings were opened during a thunderstorm on 1st December 1937 … and then followed the opening of the Church”.

It was then discovered that the church was indebt to the tune of nearly £6,000, the building having cost £12,504. This was not helped by the building being £1,000 more than estimated and donations £2,000 less. It took eleven years to pay off this debt.

In 1953 an organ was installed, costing £3,000. Denbigh High School met in the church hall until 1954.

The following year a permanent stage was built at the expense of a small meeting room. The kitchen was relocated in a space previously occupied by a vestibule and children’s toilets.

In 1965 the Luton Methodist Circuit split north and south with Saint Margaret’s being in Luton North Circuit. In the same year a new room was built, costing £3,600 and in 1969 a stained glass window and a stone cross were installed. The kitchen was enlarged in 1981 (and refurbished in 2002) and a new store room built.

In 1987 the two Luton circuits were re-amalgamated into one Luton Circuit and in 2010 the circuit joined the Chiltern Downs Circuit to create the South Bedfordshire Circuit. The chapel is still extant and used for Methodist worship at the time of writing.”