The population of Maindee Parish having increased with the fast growing developments of Newport, it was soon decided that a church was required again in the Barnardtown district of the town.
A church of iron construction which had stood in Dock Street for the past nine years as a chapel-of-ease was acquired by Maindee parish and once again erected in Church Road opposite the former Mission church, where its services and teaching remained firmly rooted within the Evangelical low church tradition.
FollOWing the decision to construct the present permanent church dedi- cated to St Matthew which stands in Church Road, the iron church, which had once again become surplus to requirements, found its final resting place in Durham Road, where, on December 3rd 1891, it was opened as a mission church under the title, “st Julian’s Church”. The Durham Road church maintained its Evangelical tradition, and like many churches of. that tradition, when it opened no cross adorned the altar.
All seemed to go well with the church for the first year, but when the new church of st Matthew opened for worship in Church Road it appeared to have a disastrous.etfect on the life ofthe Durham Road church, both finan- cially and on church attendance. It was not unknown for a hat to be. passed around after services to make up the four shillings required to pay the caretaker.
The first ten years in the life of the Durham Road church saw no less than seven clergymen serving the church:- Titmus 1891; Cross 1894; Russell 1895; Jones 1896; Clunn 1899; Howell Jenkins 1900; Bancroft 1901. One can only assume that the work was so disheartening that these fi~t seven ‘felt moved to seek employment elsewhere .. but all this was 500nto change. Enter John Albert Cottrell.
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