4th Cleethorpes Company of the Boys Brigade
Lovett Street Methodist Church Cleethorpes.
Enrolled 23rd June 1954.
This was the start of my foundation to the way of life. I started 4th Cleethorpes around September 1962 in the Life Boys Section, which later on became Junior Section. The uniform was a little different to the present day Junior Section. Mrs Martin was our leader whilst Mr Martin was the Captain of the Boys Brigade, now known as the Company Section and there are 2 Sections now, Company Section and Senior Section. Whereas it was the Boys Brigade.
The uniform for the Life Boys was, a Sailors Hat, Navy Blue Woollen Jersey and Navy Blue Socks with Stripes around the top of the sock. Oh and of course short dark trousers. So my 45 years of a Boys Brigade member began.
Sadly the Company had to close, due to the church was desperately need of repair which would cost a lot of money. So the 4th Cleethorpes Company moved to Welholme Church Grimsby, where, after a few years became 10th Grimsby Company 1978.
The Colours to the right are the Colours raised at every Life Boy meeting. It Stood in the far right hand corner of the Lovett Street Methodist Church hall . As I remember on a large pole. It was deemed as an honour to be asked to raise and lower the Colours .
On the night of the stone-laying 1899, Rev J C W Gostick (chairman of Clee) made a speech and said “Methodism had assumed the proportion of an imperial church, and it was as true as the saying that the sun never sets on the British Empire that the sun never sets on the sphere of influence of Methodism”! But as is the way of the cruel passage of time, neither the Empire nor the church is extant today.
The church was demolished in 1976; Mike Smith remembers speaking to the men who were going to pull it down, “they couldn't believe why as it was such a sound and a very strong structure.”
The long lost Chapel of Lovett Street
Article Written By Kathleen Wetherell
Back when Britain was still an Empire, a new town was establishing itself, New Cleethorpes. In October 1899, the foundation stone for a new Methodist chapel in Lovett Street, New Clee District, was laid.
Back when Britain was still an Empire, a new town was establishing itself, New Cleethorpes. In October 1899, the foundation stone for a new Methodist chapel in Lovett Street, New Clee District, was laid.
A central site in Lovett Street was obtained from Sidney Sussex College for the price of £500. Messrs Gelder and Kitchen, of Hull, were appointed architects while Cleethorpes gentleman Mr W Ion the builder. The new building was to be in brick, with slight York stone dressings, consisting of a large hall, with a gallery, to accommodate about 400; eight classrooms, four large vestries and a small library.
The chapel would cost £2,400. It was announced later that evening after the ceremony at a public meeting that public subscriptions, proceeds of the day and subscriptions promised raised £603 10s 8d. Lovett Street chapel was completed in 1900.
3 ladies “put their heads together” and formed the Lovett-street Ladies Guild. Slowly they collected recruits and “off they went to the chapel with buckets and scrubbing brushes and cleaned the place out”. They realised the one thing they truly needed was money, and so they held jumble sales and parades and organised a weekly women’s P.T class where a collection box was passed around after each session.
On August 21st, their prayers were answered – “Mothers win fight to reopen church”. On Sunday October 5th Dr. Frank Baker, minister of Trinity Church Cleethorpes conducted the first service to be held in Lovett street Methodist church since the early days of the war. The reopening was a trial period of one year, which was evidently successful as services continued for another 22 years.
The 4th Cleethorpes Company of the Boys Brigade was started at the Chapel in June 1954; their Captain was Mr Benny Wells. The company stayed there until 1974 when they moved to Welholme Methodist Church and stayed as 4th Clee until its change to 10th Grimsby were it still remains
