Churches of the British Isles

Oddfellows Hall stands on Marcus Hill, next door to the old Steps Chapel (above). There was quite a lot of movement around Newquay by the Methodists and affiliated congregations, particularly along this road. The hall is listed online as a possible former chapel, and may have hosted Elim Church at some point prior to their acquiring the East Street site, although this is difficult to substantiate. Today the refurbished building hosts a thriving restaurant.

Newquay Congregational Hall stands at the north-east corner of Marcus Hill and Seymour Avenue, diagonally opposite St Michael's Church (see below). Noted as a hall on the OS 25-inch compilation of 1892-1914, just when it was used as a church is uncertain. It later became the 'Worship Hall' for Elim Church. Elim was first registered on Marcus Hill in 1957 (see above), and later went on to purchase East Street Methodist Chapel (see links). The former hall is now the Source Cafe.

Wave House (Elim Church) on the northern side of Seymour Road actually sits at the flank of the former Congregational church (see above). When Elim Church purchased East Street Chapel (see links) it formed the Elim / New Creation Church complex in conjunction with this site at Wave House. The former Congregational building was let go at the same time. Wave House was altered so that it became physically connected to the East Street site on its rear flank.

St Michael's Church (Second Site) sits at the south-west corner of the St Michael's Road/Marcus Hill junction. By 1896, the old building (see links) was too small for its summer visitors. This modern church on a new site opened in 1911. The old church was demolished to make way for retail outlets. The tower was added in the 1960s. Disaster struck on 29 June 1993 when the roof and much of the interior was destroyed by fire. Repair work was completed three years later.

Following the fire, the restoration project received major funding from English Heritage. In collaboration with English Heritage experts, the practice used its expertise to complete a substantial repair of the church, restoring it to its former glory. Rebuilding started on 16 January 1995, and was completed just in time for the rededication of the church on 29 September, the feast of St Michael and All Angels, 1996. The architects were Richard Church and John Tanner.

Three photos each on this page by Jo Lewis & P L Kessler.