St Lukes Church - Religious History

Church Of England

The first Church of England services were held in the homes of miners at Ushaw Moor Colliery and, as membership grew, a corrugated structure was erected over the hill at Ushaw Moor. This new St. Luke's was part of the Esh parish and in 1911 the Rev. Davies, vicar in charge at Esh, complained in his magazine about the carelessness at St. Lukes. It appears that during a Sunday evening service one of the oil lamps suspended from the ceiling had fallen over and started a fire. Owing to the confusion which followed the offering had been forgotten and he chastised the officials for this neglect. He was in fact a caring minister and urged the other churches to contribute towards a new building at Ushaw Moor. Mr.Hodgson-Fowler the Durham architect, was commissioned to draw the plans for a new church which was originally designed to accommodate 302 worshippers but later altered to seat 256. St. Luke's opened in May 1918 under the new vicar the Rev. W. Brown who was succeeded in 1923 by the Rev. J.H.P.Welby,M.A., a remarkable man whose kindness was often abused by those he helped. I understand that the letter 'P' in his initials stood for Pugin and he is reputed to have been related to the architect mentioned in the section about Ushaw College. During his thirty- five years as vicar of St. Luke's his kindly and sometimes eccentric behaviour endeared him to his parishioners. One story tells how, during a winter morning service, he left a trail of water down the aisle of the church, leaking from a hot water bottle secured beneath his cassock for warmth.

John Welby died in 1958 and in his honour a new church hall was opened on the 7th September, a fitting tribute to a great man.

From 1913 until 1947 Ushaw Moor remained quite a small parish. New Brancepeth was added in this year, but returned to Brandon again in 1962 when Broompark was added from Bearpark.

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History.