On 1st August 2016 Lansdowne Crescent Methodist Church celebrated the laying of the foundation stone 150 years prior. There was a short service of thanksgiving at 10.30, followed by coffee and an anniversary cake.
When the foundation stone was laid, underneath it was placed a time capsule containing copies of newspapers, the names of officials of the Methodist Church and coins of the realm. This was found a few months before the celebration when the weathered foundation stone was replaced; items of significance today were added to the capsule before it was put back under the new stone.
On 1st August 1865 special trains at cheap fares were run from as far afield as Wolverhampton, Bristol and Abergavenny so that Methodists could attend the laying of the foundation stone. The trains only ran as far as Malvern Link and Malvern Wells stations, so that the genteel areas of Great Malvern were not disturbed!
Although we could not run special trains on 1st August 2015, many members and friends joined us at Lansdowne Crescent for the first of our 150th Anniversary Celebrations.
For more details of the events in 1865 please read Part 2.
