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Elizabeth Street, CONGLETON, CW12 4DJ

Located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and West Street, this pub is all boarded up and waiting for a buyer. It looks as if it has been on the market for some time, the big sign says the price has been reduced. For a close-up of the sign see Image

West Street in Congleton.

Attached to Image, there appears to be a little artistic licence here- the real Durham Ox was a lot bigger! The Durham Ox was a huge animal that was bred in 1796 from a “common” cow and a Shorthorn bull by the brothers Charles and Robert Colling of Ketton Farm near Darlington in County Durham (see Image by Hugh Mortimer). The ox was bought by a wealthy aristocrat for £250, a lot of money at that time, who built a specially designed carriage for it and for six years sent the animal touring England and Scotland, it would travel from one agricultural show to another, the owner receiving a portion of the show’s admission fees; on a single day during 1802 in London it earned its owner a total of £92 (a small fortune in those days). Whilst touring it achieved a fantastic maximum weight of 270 stones (1715 kilograms). During those five years on tour the Durham Ox travelled over 3,000 miles, before it dislocated its hip during a show in Oxford in February of 1807. Slaughtered two months later it weighed 189 stones (1200 kilograms). Not only did people pay to see the Durham Ox, but in 1802 alone over 2000 prints by John Boulbee of the squarish, roan ox were sold; these prints were hung in homes, inns, and coaching houses. The ox's image even appeared on blue and white Staffordshire dinner services. It became so famous that many inns were named after the Durham Ox of Ketton Farm.

Looking up Elizabeth Street from its junction with West Street, part of Image is visible on the left.

Looking the full length of Queen Street from its junction with Silk Street to the junction with Booth Street. Image is on the left and the end of Image on the right.

This George V post box is located opposite the end of Image

This date plaque is above entrance doors to the Image Although the date has been left black the letters above have been painted over, if we look carefully the words Methodist New Connexion can be made out- indicating that this was once a chapel. The Methodist New Connexion was formed in 1797 by a breakaway movement from the Wesleyan Methodists led by Alexander Kilham, a minister of a Methodist circuit in Sheffield. Kilham was an outspoken man who disagreed with the Wesleyan idea of putting the position of minister above that of the common member and that there should be free elections of class-leaders and stewards, and equal representation with ministers at Conference. They also contended that the ministry should possess no official authority or pastoral prerogative, but should merely carry into effect the decisions of majorities in the different meetings. The Connexion lasted until 1907 when it merged with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist Free Churches to form the United Methodist Church. At the time of the merger the Methodist New Connexion consisted of 250 ministers and 45,000 members.

Although it is now a garage, this building was erected in 1836. Although part of the date stone (Image) has been painted over it is still possible to see that it was originally a chapel for the Methodist New Connexion. The Methodist New Connexion was formed in 1797 by a breakaway movement from the Wesleyan Methodists led by Alexander Kilham, a minister of a Methodist circuit in Sheffield. Kilham was an outspoken man who disagreed with the Wesleyan idea of putting the position of minister above that of the common member and that there should be free elections of class-leaders and stewards, and equal representation with ministers at Conference. They also contended that the ministry should possess no official authority or pastoral prerogative, but should merely carry into effect the decisions of majorities in the different meetings. The Connexion lasted until 1907 when it merged with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist Free Churches to form the United Methodist Church. At the time of the merger the Methodist New Connexion consisted of 250 ministers and 45,000 members.

Located at the base of one of the buttresses on the east end of the church (Image). For more information on this and other bench marks go to http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm37363 .

The original church was built in 1790 and was located on Mill Street, where the Image now stands, it was rebuilt and replaced by this building on Antrobus Street in 1876. There is what appears to be a filled in bench mark at the base of the buttress adjoining the tower (Image).