The twin spired Gloucester Street Congregational Church formed a prominent part of Weymouth landscape from its building in 1862 until its demolition in 1980.
It was built to replace an earlier chapel dating from 1662 when a nonconformist following was set up by George Thorne Rector of Melcombe Regis following his refusal to conform with the Act of Uniformity. The chapel was inadequate and with the rise in Weymouth’s popularity it was decided to build a replacement in a prominent location.
It soon became a well attended place of worship and the ministry of the Revd Charles Gay from 1947 to 1961 is well remembered.
However in the 1960s the building was showing signs of cracking due to its inadequate foundations on reclaimed land. Repair work was carried out but it was in need of new foundations costing £1m.
The new minister closed the church in 1972 and the congregation moved to Hope Street. The building was dem olid in 1980 and the site is occupied by George Thorne House, a block of flats for the elderly.
The writer remembers the church as most impressive internally and externally though he was worried when looking at it at a Weymouth Grammar School end of year service in 1965and realising that the walls appeared to slope outwards toward the top!!
The photo shows the building during demolition.
