Soothill Congregational Church

The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available.

Congregational worship in Soothill began in 1871 when meetings were held in cottages led by members from Hanover Street church in Batley. In 1872 a pastor was appointed to superintend the work and a Sunday School started using a room in Quarry Street. Later in 1872 the worshippers were given the use of the old School Tanhouse and Sunday Services were held there and it was used too by the Sunday School. The Tanhouse was extended in 1886.

Soothil Congregational Church in Graceleather Lane was built 1874 - 1875. When it opened in 1875 it was as a branch of Hanover Street Church and it remained so until well into the 20th century. The Church building was extended in 1886. A house was bought to be used as a manse in 1919.

In 1946 - 1947 Soothill withdrew from the Batley Group of Congregational Churches and became a fully independant church with its own full-time minister. Soothill Church [by then a United Reform Church] closed in September 1990. The congregation was small and elderly, attendance at services in 1989 was between 12 and 20 people, and the church building, especially the roof, needed a lot of repair work doing on it. It was felt that the size of the congregation did not warrant repairing the church or building a new one. After the church closed the members went to worship at the central Methodist United Reform Church in Batley.

These records are held by WYAS Kirklees, collection reference KC621