A little corner of the Lord’s vineyard

Reedsmouth is a hamlet on the North Tyne near Bellingham in Northumberland. From 1864 it had a railway station, popularly known as ‘Reedsmouth Junction’ it sat at the junction of the line from Hexham to Riccarton Junction and a branch to Morpeth. Most of the men worked on the North British Railway (NBR) and lived in houses provided by the company.

The first involvement with Railway Mission came around 1888 when Christian railwaymen formed a branch of the Railway Mission Christian Association. The compactness of the community encouraged them to meet locally in the station waiting rooms rather than walk to Bellingham. Reports to the Railway Signal in 1896 give a picture of God at work, with overflowing waiting rooms, inspiring preachers and successful evangelistic missions, which encouraged the branch to establish its own meeting place. From the start of 1897 correspondence was commenced with Speirs & Co. of Glasgow for the erection of a suitable building. This was not a cheap venture with the price amounting to £170, equivalent to £20,400 at 2016 prices. The principal aim of the Mission was to bring people to faith in Christ and the membership form

read: “Having been brought to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and desiring to follow Him in my life. I wish to become a Member of the above

Mission.” Unusually the hall was also used for education classes organised by the County Council. These included cooking and dressmaking and, although not held continuously, were arranged until 1952 along with a table tennis club. Even before the Reedsmouth branch had a mission hall, a Sunday School was organised for the local children which proved popular. In September 1896 the numbers expected for the anniversary were more than the waiting rooms could hold and a tent was borrowed for the meetings. There was an annual outing, which in 1935 was to Whitley Bay. These outings continued during the war including a trip to the cinema at Hexham in 1940. The members’ meetings were held as and when required and much of the business was in connection with special services and social events. The minutes list the preachers, including women, for Sundays and special services. When no preacher was available for a Sunday the members gathered for community hymn singing. Other discussions covered the practicalities of running the mission hall, from repairs to the picket fence and painting the outside to lighting and heating. The jubilee of the mission was celebrated in 1947 with a tea and celebratory meetings. As late as 1950 a new honorary superintendent was appointed. Although the membership had declined it was the rundown of the railway itself, passenger services ceased in 1956, that made closure inevitable. Many branches had closed between the wars, but Reedsmouth survived with the involvement of active and retired railwaymen and their families until closure in 1956-57. It was always a ‘Railway’ mission, set as it was in a compact railway community, and in post-war years the committee consisted mainly of the railwaymen’s wives. Dudley Clark January 2022

Photos: Reedsmith JcRM 1935, this page Reedsmith Jc RM Postcard from S, page 20