Our story
From early in the nineteenth century, the town’s Baptist Fellowship occupied a variety of meeting rooms! An initial chapel was constructed in Archer Street (1845); this now part of the local Masonic Hall. During the following 25 years, various factions were created and splits in the fellowship occurred. As a result, groups of Baptists met successively in the Livingstone Buildings (on Northgate), the Railway Institute (the corner of Whessoe Road and North Road), Leadenhall Street (Northgate again) and, finally, the newly erected chapel in Grange Road (1871).
In the beginning, from early in the nineteenth century, the town’s Baptist Fellowship occupied a variety of meeting rooms! An initial chapel was constructed in Archer Street (1845); this now part of the local Masonic Hall. During the following 25 years, various factions were created and splits in the fellowship occurred. As a result, groups of Baptists met successively in the Livingstone Buildings (on Northgate), the Railway Institute (the corner of Whessoe Road and North Road), Leadenhall Street (Northgate again) and, finally, the newly erected chapel in Grange Road (1871).
During the latter part of the Victorian era, industries involving railway engineering, metal forging, steel rolling and wire manufacture and bridge building swelled the town’s population. One result was the need to ‘take the Gospel to the people’! Members from Grange Road began a ‘tin hut’ mission to railway and metal workers and their families in Corporation Road.
This outreach resulted in the construction and formation of a ‘daughter’ Baptist Church (1904) on the corner of Corporation Road and Easson Road.
It was in the present decade that conversations began to take place about a possible merger of two churches Baptist Churches in Darlington situated in Corporation Road and Grange Road. In July 2017 “Darlington Baptist Church” was formed. Grange Road had previously planted Corporation Road around 100 years ago so merging together has brought history full circle.