Salvation Army seeks new frontier
Oct 25 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
THE Salvation Army is ending 120 years of history in Newcastle as it closes its temple for the final time.
But when the organisation opened its City Temple in Victorian days, it was designed to look anything but church-like. The exterior of the building in Westgate Road was fortress-like, while the interior, which could host 3,000 people, resembled a music hall.
Salvation Army Major Antony Mugford is commanding officer of the Newcastle Temple alongside his wife Major Fiona.
He said: “It reflected the popular culture of the time and the aim was to attract people who would not normally go to church.”
Tomorrow at 4.30pm, the temple holds its final service, when all are invited.
Today, an open day will be held between 10am and 4pm, when visitors can see the original cast iron columns, coloured glass windows and a display of old photographs loaned by people with links to the temple’s past.
The 1890 building, in a conservation area, will be put up for sale and the Salvation Army will temporarily move to the city’s Brunswick Methodist Church.
The search will be on to find land or a building in a better position for the organisation’s community work.
Major Mugford said: “Where the temple was built is probably not the place we should be now.
“At the time, people lived nearer the city centre than is the case now. We need to be in a community setting where we can do our work. We are seeking to reposition ourselves in terms of the building and community.”
“It will be a wrench to leave and there are people at the temple who have used the building since childhood. But the Salvation Army is a practical organisation and we need to be up to date.”
The Salvation Army’s work in Newcastle began in 1879 when six young hallelujah women marched across the Swing Bridge from Gateshead and began preaching to the crowds at Sandhill.
Before the temple was built, the Army held Sunday meetings at what is now The Journal Tyne Theatre in Westgate Road and gathered during the week nearby at the Hall of Varieties, which later became the Pavilion cinema.
The Salvation Army’s newspaper, The War Cry, reported that at the opening of the Temple in 1890: “The soldiers and friends were in a state of ebulliency, finishing at night with a glorious victory in the conversion of nine souls.”
