Birchcliffe

A General Baptist Church where much of the building work for the original 13 yds x 10 yds chapel was carried out by Dan Taylor. He was minister in 1783 and became a national figure, especially after moving to London, where he died in 1816. Later chapels were built in 1825 and 1898 and the present magnificent building seated 1,000 people. In 1934, a new Sunday School was built using stone from the original chapel. In the first part of the 20th century, the church was well-known for its musical tradition, the involvement of its members in the civic life of the area and for thriving social and cultural organisation. The church closed in 1974 and the premises were bought by the Joseph Rowntree Trust. Springs on the Birchcliffe hillside supply water to houses in parts of the town. A small part of the gathering area for the water is the burial ground of the chapel – hence the comment; ‘Good stuff this Birchcliffe water. Plenty of body in it’. The water was the cause of many local disputes.

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