1896 to 1932

The Chapel Enlarged

By 1896 the Society had so grown and established itself that the old chapel was not large enough for the congregation, and the present chapel, incorporating the old building, was built with two vestries at the rear and was opened n October of that year by the President of the United Methodist Free Church, the Rev. Geo. Turner.

In 1899 the present two manual organ was installed at a cost of £164.

The chapel was licensed for the solemnization of marriages in 1902, which gave great satisfaction to members and friends. Oil lamps served the community until 1904 when gas was brought into the village and installed in the chapel.

Jubilee Celebrations

The Jubilee Celebrations were held in August, 1906, and the preacher for the Sunday Evening Service was Mr E C Denton (son of David Denton Sen.) a local preacher for over 50 years, who rarely had a Sunday at home and who walked to his appointments to the end of his days.

The service was followed by a Love Feast in the old orthodox fashion with cake and water handed round as a token and pledge of fellowship.

United Methodist Church

A further amalgamation of Methodist Societies took  place in 1907, when the oldest seceding body, known as the Methodist New Connexion, joined with the Bible Christians and the United Methodist Free Church and formed the United Methodist Church.

Church going was now popular and nonconformity was developing fast. It had weathered its early persecutions and thrown off, with the aid of its champions in the House of Commons, the various impositions and disabilities placed on it by State and Church.

During the next decade there came to live in the village several families whose stay was only for a few years, but whose service will ever be part of the history of Walton Chapel.

Social events were held in the parish Rooms which stood opposite where the memorial now stands and was demolished for road widening soon after the first world war. The number of Sunday school Scholars  was increasing and work among young people developing and the need for a building to supplement the work of the Church was felt.

The Sunday School Built

By generous and sacrificial giving the Sunday school was built. All the work up to floor level was done by members and friends , and the Opening Ceremony was held in June, 1910. The Opener was Mr H D Gowers, grandson of Mr David Denton, sen.

The total cost, including the purchase of the land, and the ground upon which the chapel stands and the furniture, was £800.

                            Chapel as enlarged 1896                                                School Built 1910

Internal Alterations

The new Sunday school had not been in commission very long before further accommodation was needed in the chapel and MR F Talbot, who had designed and supervised the building of the school, submitted plans for increasing the seating capacity in the chapel. This was done by utilising one of the vestries for the organ, repositioning the pulpit and choir stalls, and placing more pews in the body of the chapel. Leaded lights with stained glass replaced the old shaded glass windows.

The work was commenced in  June and the chapel reopened in September 1915, under the shadow of WW1. No further structural alterations have been made since.

Re-Union of Methodism

On the 20th September, 1932, the Union of the three Methodist Churches (Wesleyan, Primitive, and United) was consummated at a Conference in the Royal Albert Hall, London, where the "Deed of Union" was publicly read and officially signed in the presence of duly elected representatives of the three churches, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York, and a company of ten thousand people.