Northumberland Gospel Hall is on the
northern side of Northdown Road in Cliftonville, midway between Zion
Place and Ethelbert Road. The Society of Friends meet at the Drapers
Almshouses, St Peters Road, but services are also held at the
Brethrens Meeting House, the Dane Room, Dane Road, and at
Northumberland Hall (which is an Open Brethren meeting house). As well as
offering regular services, the hall also serves as a toddler group
venue.
Rehoboth Baptist Church lies just around
the corner from Northumberland Hall, on the western side of
Ethelbert Road. This church was founded by Strict Baptists, with
'Rehoboth' coming from a story in the book of Genesis. A stone was laid
to commemorate the building's construction by Mr J B Collin on 19 March
1914. The architects for the project were George Baines & Son of
London. Today the church is still in use, but has clearly seen
better days.
St Michael and St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox Church
is further east on Northdown Road, on the eastern side of the
junction with Dalby Road. The building began life as St Stephen's
Methodist Church in 1878, built in the early French Gothic style
and in the form of a Greek cross. It is now considered to be the
finest nineteenth century building in Cliftonville or Margate. The
Methodist church eventually closed down and the building passed to
the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate.
The Egyptian Coptic church dates back to the
first century AD and is probably the world's oldest Christian church
organisation. On 14 August 1999, Pope Shenouda consecrated the two
altars of the newly acquired church and dedicated them to Archangel
Michael and Saint Bishoy. Reverend Read from the Methodist Church
also attended the ceremony. The building was fully renovated in 2009,
aided by funding from English Heritage to help repair the tower
roof, belfry and masonry.
The Parish Church of St Paul is on the
next block east from the Coptic church on Northdown Road, with Arthur
Road and Edgar Road heading northwards on either side of it. St Paul's
was built as the 'daughter' church of nearby Holy Trinity (lost in
1956). In the early 1870s it was found that the increasing population
of the eastern sections of Margate needed a church of its own. Paved
streets had been laid down and houses had been built in the new
neighbourhood.
The area became known as Cliftonville, and in
1872, two wealthy benefactors made a gift of land for the building
of a church, and architect R K Bleasley of Eastbourne was appointed
to oversee the project. On 13 November 1873 the church was consecrated,
although apparently without its tower, which was built by 1897, at which
point a single bell was fitted together with a clock. Like all others in
the region, the church was closed during the second World War.
Five photos on this page contributed by M
Kessler.
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