This Presbyterian congregation was founded in 1866 and initially worshipped in the schoolroom of Park Row Chapel. In 1870 the congregation moved to the newly-built St Andrew’s Church in Belgrave Square (now Goldsmith Street) in Nottingham. St Andrew’s joined the United Reformed Church in 1972. Negotiations had been proceeding since the early 1960s for a possible merger with another city centre church, Castle Gate Congregational Church, which also joined the URC in 1972. In 1975 the two churches merged to form St Andrew’s-with-Castle Gate United Reformed Church, using the St Andrew’s premises on Goldsmith Street.
Ministers
The following list was drawn up by Prof. Malcolm Jones of St Andrew’s-with-Castle Gate URC in September 2010. The dates refer to the dates the ministers were in post.
- Rev. James Brown Dougherty (1868-1879)*
- Rev. Robert Cowan (1880-1894)
- Rev. John Charles Grant (1894-1932)
- Rev. R.D. Black (1932-1936)
- Rev. George Walker (1936-1964)
- Rev. Alun Lloyd Davies (1964-1975)
*Rev. Dougherty later became the Rt. Hon. Sir James Dougherty, Under-Secretary of State for Ireland (1908-1914) and a Liberal MP for Londonderry City (1914-1918).
Records
The St Andrew’s Church collection held at The University of Nottingham (AU) is very rich, and contains records relating to the entire life of the church from its formation in 1866 to its amalgamation with Castle Gate in 1975.
The records include building fund accounts relating to the construction of St Andrew’s Church between 1868 and 1870; a full set of Session Minutes, 1865-1975; lists of members; Sunday School registers, minutes and records dating back to 1870; records of the Fellowship of Youth organisation, 1950s-1975; Annual Reports, 1884-1933 and 1956-1974; and correspondence relating to the merger with Castle Gate in the 1970s. Only a very small number of church magazines have survived.
Registers
The St Andrew’s collection at The University of Nottingham contains one original register:
- Baptism register, 1866-1899 (AU/R 2/1/1-59).
Further Reading
Early annals of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church : Belgrave Square, Nottingham (Nottingham : Thos. N. Storer ; London : Howard House, [1905?]) [King’s Meadow Campus East Midlands Collection Not 3.M72 SAN]
Littlefair, Joseph. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Belgrave Square, Nottingham, 1866-1966. ([Nottingham : s.n., 1966]) [King’s Meadow Campus East Midlands Collection Pamphlet Not 3.M72 SAN]
Next page: Noel Street Presbyterian Church, Nottingham