Kings Clipstone

Iron Mission Church

Newark Archdeaconry

Mansfield Deanery

Introduction

In 1903 the Duke of Portland had a new iron mission church built on the northern edge of Castlefield in Kings Clipstone. The style of the corrugated iron building was advertised by Harrods, in the Church of England Year Book, as 'Restful in design, economical, easy to erect and could be taken down at low cost.' The Duke allowed the Revd. Frank Day-Lewis, Vicar of St Mary's, Edwinstowe, an annuity for preaching there each Sunday. Whilst baptisms were held at the Mission Church weddings and funerals were not.

The building was extended with a small porch and the western apex of the roof had a frame fitted to support a plain bell, some 6 inches in diameter which had a cut-away shoulder and peg argent. The bell was of a similar date to the building.

The interior of the building had a raised floor where the altar stood and separate places for the choir plus some 40 members of the congregation. A wooden screen could be drawn over the altar section allowing other activities to take place which proved useful after Winifred, Duchess of Portland, who took great interest in the village and school, arranged for the church building to be given to the village as a centre for dances and other social gatherings.

This Mission Church was closed in 1979 after the congregation dwindled and people attended the other local churches, particularly All Saints in Clipstone. The building was later altered and made suitable for use as a factory unit with parts of the original internal screen being used to line the walls and provide the material for a new west door. The Baptismal font was split and moved into a local village garden, but unfortunately, is now missing from there.

Particular thanks to Bryan Frettsome for research on this entry
and to Geoff Buxton for the photographs