History of Cairo Street Chapel

The Origins of the Chapel Cairo Street Chapel is the second oldest surviving place of worship in Warrington.

The man responsible for the founding of the Church was Robert Yates, ejected from the Church of England in 1662, he ultimately obtained a licence for public worship. In 1689, religious dissent was permitted by the Act of Toleration and the congregation worshipped in Eccleston Barn.

The Toleration Act enabled Dissenters to build their own places of worship and in 1703, following the raising of sufficient money through subscriptions, a chapel was built on land behind Randle Myddleton’s Smithy in Sankey Street, (the same site as is now Cairo Street). A deed signed between Dr. Charles Owen Minister of the Chapel and the Earl of Warrington refers to a “late erected building or meeting place”.

It was during the ministry of Dr. Owen in 1745 that the present larger chapel was built. Dr. Owen was the minister of the chapel for fifty years from 1696 to 1746 and it was he who lead consolidation and growth of the chapel. In 1863 the chapel was extensively repaired; the old gallery was taken down and the interior re-seated to make it look much as it does today.

September 30th 1922 celebrating the 250th granting of the Royal Licence to become a recognised church. The Revd. P Whiteman is holding the licence.