On 9 September 2014 I went and did the service at St Wilfrid’s Newbiggin Hall – 6 years here and it was the first time I had ever been in. Sarah, their Vicar, has damaged her foot so I was her stand-in (as Basil Brush used to say “boom, boom”).
A very pleasant midweek service, a good welcome, coffee and a chat afterwards.
The estate of Newbiggin Hall went up in the 1960s, and the church was dedicated in 1967. It is quite an attractive 1960s building on a prime spot in the middle of the estate. They have used the blank, road-facing wall for some advertising, tend the gardens around, and have sorted out disabled access.
Interesting that in this 1971 photo from Newcastle Libraries there is a temporary wooden ramp – 
. I wonder how many years the “temporary” ramp was there for? There is some new building going up, including a large residential old people’s home – which should give some more opportunities. There biggest problem is the Hall – which is ugly 1960s, too big for what is now required, and needs to come down. They have some interesting plans to erect “pods” in the church itself, which seems a sensible re-use of the space. Now it is simply a case of finding the money.
I know where to come if I need some candles!
my dad did a concrete ramp for the church in the early 80’s, to replace the wooden one, he also did all the crazy paving round the church hall. We went door to door buy a brick to build the church in the 60’s and my parents did a lot of fund raising and did a lot of work on the building. Roger Munday said if you turned the church upside down then it would float like an ark.
Thanks for this memory. It is sad it’s been a decade since I’ve been to the church.