Knightthorpe, Loughborough

Knightthorpe Methodist Church owes its existence to a group of Christians who met in a member’s home until they outgrew the space. They erected a simple room with a small vestry which was opened in 1915 as a Primitive Methodist Mission. This small room still exists today as the main body of the church. The church saw a number of extensions and improvements (including the addition of seating, communion rail, pulpit and a wall-mounted cross) until, by 1939, it also had a small entrance porch and an ex-army wooden hut at the rear, to house the growing Sunday School. The entrance from Knightthorpe Road was also improved to give the central path and double gates which remain today.

In the 1960s, the allotment at the rear of the church was purchased and a Banbury Prefabricated building was purchased (with help from the sale of Ashby Road Methodist Church). In recognition of this it was named Ashby Hall and it is still in use today.

In Dec 1993, a major project was completed which saw the old porch replaced by the current front extension. This provides an entrance foyer, additional seating for the church and a cloakroom.

In Nov 2004, the latest extension and refurbishment saw the building take its current form. A new hall was added at the rear of the church to replace the portable units added in the 1990s. As well as this new room (the Blue Room), a new kitchen, vestry and cloakrooms were added. Links with past Methodism continued with the incorporation of the Crown of Life window into the Blue Room. This had originally been part of the Nottingham Road Methodist Church (which closed in 1980).

As part of the these refurbishments a new lectern was provided to replace the old pulpit. The angles of the lectern going off in various directions represents the outreach of the congregation into the community, just as the congregation is spread wide into the local community. It does not consist of straight lines, all going in the same direction. The curves represent that life and the way to God are not always straightforward and we find ourselves veering off, often before we realise it has happened. Sycamore, has been used to produce the motive on the front panel; this is representative of our faith bringing light into a dark or cloudy world. The extra legs at the front demonstrate the support given to help us in our Christian journey and the stability we enjoy in our everyday living.

Today, in addition to the meetings organised by the church, the local council, the police and other groups hold events for all ages in the community.

The Church is Licensed for Weddings

Please contact:

Stewards: Harry Tyler (Room Bookings - 01509 214040) and Brian Suter (01509 233596)