Church ready for centenary party; SERVICES SET TO MARK DOUBLE MILESTONE CELEBRATIONS.

A NUNEATON church with a colourful history, now one of the town centre's most imposing buildings, will celebrate its centenary this weekend.

The United Reformed Church, which stands opposite the Town Hall on the corner of Coventry Street and College Street, will soon be dwarfed by the town's new multi-million pound Rope Walk shopping scheme.

Former ministers and Rev Jim Gascoign, the grandson of the original minister, will be among those attending the centenary celebrations on Saturday and Sunday.

It promises to be the biggest event in the church's history - because the centenary also coincides with the 300th anniversary of the first United Reformed Church being launched in Nuneaton.

Staff from Nuneaton's Museum and Art Gallery are mounting an exhibition of momentos, including marriage registers and Sunday School records.

Jack Cadman, the church's assistant secretary, said the church had its roots in the Act of Uniformity in 1662, which forced the clergy to make a choice to accept the Book of Common Prayer and the authority of the bishops, or face expulsion from the Church of England. Over one-fifth of clergy refused and were expelled.

One of those was Dr Wild who, after his expulsion from his church near Banbury, started preaching from a bedroom window in Church Street, Nuneaton, in 1680.

Mr Cadman said: "The Act of Toleration in 1688 allowed the first regular meetings for worship to be held in the Town Hall, Nuneaton. The congregation then used a private dwelling in Chilvers Coton as its first church in 1704. It was destroyed by fire, allegedly started by a local mob.

"During the 19th century, the church went through a division which led to the formation of another church in Bond Street, Nuneaton. "Towards the end of the century, both churches realised that two churches 400 yards apart was ridiculous and came back together under an agreements between their ministers."

The present church was built in 1904.

The celebrations include a thanksgiving service on Saturday at 3pm followed by an anniversary service at 10.45am on Sunday and a district gathering (6.30pm).