THIS quartet of fine photos from the past shows some of Highbridge's churches the way they once were.

The images, provided by the Highbridge History Project, show the town's Methodist Church which was replaced by a block of flats in the 1980s, the old Salvation Army Citadel and the Hope Baptist Church.

Originally opened for service in 1865, the Methodist Church did not host its first wedding until 1869.

A schoolroom was created to host a Sunday school in 1870 and 18 years later the church expanded costing the princely sum of £298.

An organ was the latest addition to the church in 1931 and by 1942, electricity had replaced gas to power the building.

By the 1950s the church's roof had been retiled and the school and interior redecorated and to mark the centenary in 1965 plans were unveiled to provide more accommodation for youth work.

But as the Methodist cause began to wane in Highbridge it became impossible to maintain the building and in 1987 the church closed before later being converted into six flats.

Our next snap shows the Salvation Army Citadel which later became the Gospel Tabernacle Evangelical Church, according to the Highbridge History Project.

The Salvation Army first arrived in Burnham and Highbridge in 1883 and the Citadel, which used to host many a rousing meeting, is no longer the meeting place.

Finally the Hope Baptist Church was rebuilt in 1867 due to a swell in worshippers and reopened two years later with the first service held in 1873.

A house in Church Street was bought for the pastor of the church in 1918 before a new Manse was purchased later in 1988.

Four plots of land were then bought in the 1990s to form the garden area and alterations and refurbishments were then carried out between 1995 and 1997.

Maybe you have some memories of Highbridge's places of worship throughout the ages?

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