. . . about Christadelphians in Lincoln
 
Early Days

During the late summer of 1848 Dr John Thomas visited Lincoln as part of his itinerary when he visited towns and cities in the north of England. Nothing seems to be known now of how many Christadelphians there were in Lincoln at that time, or where they met. However, by the end of the nineteeenth century there were enough members to warrant two separate ecclesias.
One of these met in the Masonic Hall on Newland. The building has been pulled down for many years, but stood opposite where Grafton House now stands. In 1895 the Christadelphians there had their photograph taken.
The Christadelphians must have vacated it before 1901 because it then became the Empire Theatre and later the Palace of Varieties. The building was destroyed by fire in 1943.
  Outside the Masonic Hall in 1895
The Nineteenth Century

We understand that a Christadelphian meeting was then held in the Central Cinema at the corner of Saltergate and Broadgate, which later became Paxman’s Gas Turbines offices. This building is also no longer in existence.
At the turn of the century they moved to Oddfellows Hall in Unity Square. They had the use of the Hall only on Sundays, and held their two mid-week Bible study classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays above Stokes Café on High Bridge.
 
 

Oddfellows' Hall

  

Upper floor of Stokes' Cafe
 
The Twentieth Century
 
The next move was in the early twentieth century, when the Lincoln Christadelphians met at the Exchange Arcade in Cornhill, where Abbey National plc now have their offices. They had the use of an upstairs room, hired to them by the Corn Exchange and Market Company, reached by two flights of steep wide stairs. The Market Keeper's son used to light an open coal fire early on the Sunday morning, and a carpet was unrolled to make the room more presentable.
 

Exchange Arcade
Where We Are Now

The move to Princess Street came in 1955, when Lincoln Christadelphians took over what had been an electrician's workshop. The entrance at that time was on Mill Lane, since there were old cottages fronting on to Princess Street. When the cottages were demolished the former entrance area to the Christadelphian Hall was changed into a kitchen area, and a new entrance made directly on to Princess Street.
 

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