The Story of St Andrew's Methodist Church, Sholing

Jim Brown is a Sotonian and former Southampton Police Sergeant and Chief Security & Safety Officer at the Southampton Container Terminal. Since his retirement in 1990 he has enthusiastically researched the town’s history and is the author of many books on its past. He is Vice-President of Bitterne Local History Society, a member of The Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery and the Hampshire Genealogical Society. He was also held several positions, such as Church Secretary, within St Andrew’s Methodist Church, Sholing, Southampton, and was given full access to its archive files.

Written to celebrate the 1994 Silver Jubilee of the church’s construction, the book traces the beginning of Methodism in Southampton when John Wesley made visits in the mid-1700s. There are detailed accounts of the beginning of the Methodist Society in the town, and the development of Wesleyan Methodism, the Primitive Methodists and Bible Christian movements. It culminated in the merging of the Sholing Primitive Methodist and Hightown Bible Christian Chapels in 1968 when a new church was built. The book contains many names of interest to the Southampton area Methodist family genealogists, ranging from 1851 to 1994.