History

The Bondgate Chapel, originally built in 1804, served the Methodist Society well until in the 1880s the town began to develop further southwards. The trustees accordingly began to look for a new site and in 1902; they bought four cottages in West Terrace (where the Bradbury Centre now stands). A mission chapel, South Road Mission was soon started in West Terrace. Then in 1907, a further purchase was made of a row of eight single-storied houses called Brougham Place, South Road (where the Wesley Church now stands)
By February, 1908 the Trustees had asked a London architect to come and look at the proposed site and bring specimens of Churches with him. Plans for Church and Schools were prepared in 1911 by Messrs. Gordon and Gunton, the well know Methodist architects. By July, 1912, the Trustees agreed that the contractors tender of £ 8,655 for the New Church and Schools submitted by Mt Thomas Hilton be accepted, and that Witton-le-Wear stone be used. The foundation stones were laid the following October.

In March 1913; a major festive effort was held to raise money for the building of the new church. It was a mammoth three-day Grand Forest Bazaar in which the whole Circuit took part. The money raised was added to the money raised from the sale on the Bondgate premises.

The new church was not ready for its original opening date, and the opening ceremony took place on February 18th 1914. It was decided that the clock in the new church be started at the conclusion of the afternoon service on the day of opening, and Mt Joseph Lingford be asked to perform the ceremony. This was followed by tea at five o'clock and an evening meeting at six thirty.

From "Sixty Years of Service"
By Arthur Wise

In 1993 the two Methodist Churches in Bishop Auckland amalgamated leaving a redundant church in a prominent location within the Town.

The hall of the church was sold to Red Cross but no interest was shown in the church itself. During this time a local architect involved in the Keystone Initiative highlighted the potential for a community building.
Churches Regional Commission were carrying out research across the west of the region, looking at how churches were involved in regeneration in communities and from this research rose a formally constituted group, Churches Action together in Wear Valley. This newly formed group, together with the student minister decided to narrow their research of community activity to Bishop Auckland and a survey of the churches involvement in community activity took place.

The Bishop Auckland Community Partnership has evolved from the findings and recommendations of the Bishop Auckland Churches' Survey Group. This was made up of representatives of the faith community and over a period of eighteen months, with the support of Spectrum, Bernard's Project, produced a comprehensive audit of the towns resources, facilities and services, identified outstanding needs and proposed action towards sustainable social regeneration. Its findings, which were made known at a public meeting in September 1997, aroused considerable interest. They have subsequently served as a catalyst in the formation of a number of practical initiatives within the Town which draw together in partnership, the contributions of statutory and voluntary organisations, churches and local people.

The Four Clocks or the John Wesley Centre as it was first referred to.
The church members together with interested local people recognised the need for a partnered approach to such a project. With the support and commitment from the many agencies contributing to the social and economic regeneration of local communities and with the expertise of the local Architect, John Niven, the proposal for a community led resource centre took shape.

The Partnership, now a registered charity has been established to help bring new life and opportunity to the most needy and disadvantaged members of the Bishop Auckland Community. In response to their identified needs, it aims to provide through voluntary and statutory organisations working together, a vital and comprehensive, one stop service of care, advice, support and development within a welcoming and readily accessible building.

The Partnership is a representative community organisation which has consulted widely. It is comprised of some of the founder members of the Survey Group, Spectrum’s Community Service Co-Coordinator, representatives of Wear Valley District Council and statutory and voluntary organisations, and Keystone Initiatives, a consortium of architects with a particular interest in the preservation and use of surplus church premises. Its Patron is the Rt. Hon Derek Foster, M P. Together, they represent a wealth of experience and complementary skills and the vision, motivation, enthusiasm integrity and managerial competence to make things happen and ensure their long-term viability.

The Partnership's mission is to ensure that the development of this service is shaped by local needs,directed by real partnerships which embrace all key interest and encourage people to have a full voice in the process of regeneration. Its feasibility study suggests that not only can the proposed service be achieved but that it can be most effectively provided within the Four Clocks Centre, the Grade 2 listed, former Methodist Church, at the very heart of the Town. This, it believes offers a distinctive, additional and important contribution to the facilities of Bishop Auckland. Its strategic position, the potential it represents to provide attractive, flexible and technologically advanced design, and its competitive overheads, coupled with sound and progressive management, can, we believe meet the special needs of both service users and providers.
The service project and the conversion of The Four Clocks Centre required funding in the region of one million pounds to include capital and revenue costs. Applications for funding were made to a number of sources including the National Lottery Charities Board. It planned to appoint a full-time Project Director with administrative and clerical support, to have particular responsibility for development, training and fundraising. Other staff were employed some full time; some part time and the participation of committed and trained volunteers would be encouraged.

The Partnership intended to have the project in place during the year 2000. It represented an exciting challenge to provide an invaluable community facility for the people of Bishop Auckland into this new millennium.

During the year 2000 over £ 830,000 was secured from the Scotto Trust, National Lottery Charities Board, Church Urban Fund and Coalfields Regeneration Trust. A successful application to the Single Regeneration Budget secured revenue costs of £125,00 over a three year period. Feasibility studies and building proposals for the conversion were completed and the building was purchased by the Partnership in June 2001 The deficit was secured in 2001 from the Esmeé Fairburn Foundation and the Tudor Trust and the local firm of building contractors, T Manners & Sons commenced work in October 2001.

Friday May 3rd 2002 was a momentous day for the Four Clocks project when the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was performed by our Patron, the Rt Hon Derek Foster MP.

Then in the autumn, on what will be for all of us who were involved a most memorable occasion was the formal opening of the building by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal. We were delighted that the joint approach by ourselves and Wear Valley Citizens' Advice Bureau culminated in this visit, when HRH expressed such interest in what had been done with the building, and what is now taking place within its walls. It was a great encouragement to us that she displayed such knowledge and understanding of the problems and opportunities in contemporary society that we and others are seeking to address.