Maidenhead Spiritualist Church – moves from a temporary “Port-a-cabin” to a prestige new home.
Maidenhead has wonderful new premises overlooking the Thames with riverside gardens in a peaceful area – without the main line trains thundering past and the loud cheers from the supporters of Maidenhead United Football Club.
The history of Maidenhead S C dates back to the early 1960s when a wonderful medium, healer and teacher, Eleanor Robertson, held spiritual meetings in various hired halls in the town; then, becoming affiliated to the SNU, with just 22 members in June 1966. In 1972 a large piece of waste land was purchased from the Trustees of Maidenhead United Football Club and a second hand temporary “port-a-cabin” building erected on land as Maidenhead Spiritualist Church. This building has lasted some 50 years which is amazing for a building designed for a life of 20 years. After many years of commercial interest from property developers, a deal was struck to re-locate the church within central Maidenhead to a rather splendid looking building. The church meeting place, on the ground floor, has been converted from a Pizza Development kitchen although originally it was a rather smart domestic property in the up-market area of Maidenhead, with Boulters Lock – famed for the book “Three Men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome” – just down the road.
On 30th April 2021 the move was made to River View Lodge after some years of intense legal negations, led by SNU Trust Property Co-ordinator Grahame Hewitt.
The new church will open to the public for services in July 2021 (subject to the Government Guidelines in place at that time). The church occupies the ground floor of River View Lodge, with a church service area, healing and circle/training room, church office, kitchen, hospitality area, toilets and modern central heating. A step-free access ramp has been constructed for the new church entrance at the rear of the building. The church has a large car park at the rear of the building; in addition there are two large public car parks opposite Boulters Lock within 10 minutes walking distance. There are also bus stops nearby, and the church is within 20 minutes walking distance of Taplow GWR station, and a little longer from Maidenhead station – with direct train services from London, Reading, Oxford and to the West.
Could the pioneers of Maidenhead church ever envisaged such a place of worship when they first started the Spiritualist group some 60 plus years ago!
After having been forced to close down the church in March 2020 by pandemic restrictions, contact has been maintained for members and friends by the issue of a Spiritual Service sent by post or by e-mail attachments every three to four weeks, with contributions from well-respected Spiritualists and the latest church news.
Normal services will be resumed as soon as possible with a great opportunity to develop River View Lodge into a first class venue for Church Services, healing, Spiritual Development that will aim to provide a place of spiritual upliftment and learning for the future.
Maidenhead Spiritualist Church,
River View Lodge, Ray Mead Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 8NJ.
