St Andrew's with Castle Gate United Reformed Church is in Nottingham.

Formation

St Andrew's with Castle Gate United Reformed Church,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, was established in 1975 by the union of St Andrew's URC with Castle Gate URC, following the creation of the United Reformed Church by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

in 1972. Prior to this date, St Andrew's (founded 1870) had been the leading Presbyterian Church in the city and Castle Gate (founded c.1665) the leading

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

Buildings

Following Union, the membership of St Andrew's-with-Castle Gate resolved to retain the former St Andrew's premises on Goldsmith Street, where it still worships and hosts its many other activities, while the Castle Gate premises were acquired by the

Congregational Federation The Congregational Federation is a small Christian denomination in Great Britain comprising 235 congregations, down from 294 in April 2014. The Federation brings together Congregational churches, and provides support and guidance to member chur ...

(bringing together those Congregational Churches that elected to remain independent on the formation of the URC), for use as its national headquarters. It is now known as The Castle Gate Centre.

History

Through its different branches, the Church has a long and distinguished history of

Christian witness In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are in ...

in the city and county. The history of Castle Gate Congregational Church can be traced to the mid-seventeenth century and the period of the English Civil War. A dissenting community of Independents (Congregationalists) first set up a Church in Castle Gate in 1689, while the existing building was opened in 1864. The St Andrew's Presbyterian Church was constituted in 1866 and its present building was opened in 1870. Both Churches assisted in the foundation of daughter churches in the locality in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Castle Gate's included The Boulevard (Gregory Boulevard, 1823), Albion (Sneinton, 1856), Addison Street (1867), Queen's Walk (1874), Park Hill (Derby Road, 1880), Bloomsgrove (Norton Street, 1894), with missions at Thorneywood (1861) and Old Radford (1860-61). Most of these (The Boulevard being a distinguished exception) have now closed or have merged again with their mother churches. St Andrew's, in its turn, established the Hyson Green Mission (Noel Street) in 1885, where a new Church was opened in 1901, to survive until the close of WW2. In 1896, St Columba's was opened on the Mansfield Road, to re-unite with St Andrew's in 1946. The St Ann's Well Road Congregational Church, an independent foundation, united with Castle Gate Congregational Church in 1971, shortly before the majority of Congregational Churches in England and Wales united with the

English Presbyterian Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

to form the United Reformed Church.

Ministers

The Castle Gate Congregational Church and the St Ann's Well Road Congregational Church (the latter in italics) The St Andrew's Presbyterian Church and the St Columba's Presbyterian Church (the latter in italics) St Andrew's-with-Castle Gate United Reformed Church

Organ

The organ was rebuilt in 1936 by J.W. Walker and modernised in 1982. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References