Looking Back at Benton Square Mission
Corrugated iron once provided a quick and relatively cheap solution to the problem of an expanding parish. This view was captioned 'Benton Square C. of E. Mission, 1904 - 1906', although the clothes have a slightly earlier feel.
The 1858 Ordnance Survey map showed Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels at the south and north sides of the Square. By 1894 the former had become a Reading room.
In 1907 the Newcastle Diocesan Gazette failed to reveal Benton Square, and in 1904 Holystone was listed with a brief description of St Aidan’s. It had an 8ft square vestry on the north side and seating for 100. It opened on December 22, 1896, replacing an old railway carriage.
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