ABOUT US

Muswell Hill Methodist Church is part of the New River Circuit of the Methodist Church, which comprises nine churches across Haringey. There are seven ministers and a lay worker in the circuit, including our own minister, Rev Andrew Dart, who also serves as superintendent (or senior minister) of the circuit.

Our mission as a church is to

• share our faith sensitively with those who are searching for God
  
  
• grown in faith and develop our spiritual life, love of God and life of prayer
  
  
• live our faith in daily life through service to others
  
  
• celebrate our faith in worship that is relevant, lively and participative.

The church is located on the North Bank Estate, which was originally purchased in the 1920s for the use of the Methodist Church by a very active member of the church, Guy Chester, who lived nearby in Hazelhyrst, a Victorian villa on Colney Hatch Lane. Alongside the church, the Estate now also includes

• two Methodist Homes - The Meadow (residential and dementia care) and The Paddock (sheltered housing scheme)
  
  
• the Guy Chester Centre that manages the Estate and also offer programmes and services including support and accommodation for 120 young people in Chester House Halls of Residence as well as Christian conferences, retreats and quiet days
  
  
• the Muswell Hill Methodist Church Tennis Club, with its all weather courts.

The New River Circuit is part of the London District of the Methodist Church, which is served by 3 Chairs (or senior ministers) Rev Ermal Kirby, Rev Jenny Impey and Rev Stuart Jordan.

Our History

The Methodist Church in Muswell Hill was founded in 1891, initially meeting in a wooden 'Norwegian Chalet' which had been part of the Alexandra Palace Exhibition. Then, in 1899, a large Victorian church and Sunday School Hall were built in Colney Hatch Lane.

In the early 1980s, these buildings were found to have major structural defects. Rather than invest huge amounts of money to maintain a large Victorian building, the decision was taken to sell the land, and to build a new church on the North Bank Estate. This combines a lovely, peaceful area for worship with more flexible ways of using the space. Continuity with the old church has been maintained by the imaginative use of much of the stained glass. The huge cross window is made up of smaller windows from the side walls. The emphasis is on faith and service to God being completely integrated, so each window has a scene from a Bible story, together with a scene showing how the same principles are worked out in practice.

The Church adjoins North Bank, a large 1860's house in Pages Lane that serves as the centre of our community projects. This had been purchased for the use of the church in the 1920s by Guy Chester. The house has recently undergone an extensive programme of refurbishment to make it suitable for a wide range of activities.