Dear Editor,
Parliament Street, that busy and rather exhausting thoroughfare, used Sherpa-like by many people holds a number of secrets.
Did you know that the playhouse was once the site of a primitive Methodist church? And just below it the Byzantine looking building on Parliament Street is in fact a church in the Arts and Crafts style, with a number of interesting original features.
The church building is shared by the Church of England and Stroud Methodists, and was once part of the original eighteenth century local Poor house provision in Stroud, before the main building was built as a mission Church for the top of Stroud and was dedicated in 1916.
This church is still serving the local community halfway up the hill in Stroud, and on Saturday 18th May between 10am and 12.30 the two churches combine to present their annual plant sale. The sale has become an event of note for many local people, and is known for its reliable supply of a healthy variety of plants, both ornamental and vegetable at very competitive prices, and that is not all: of course, cake and tea etc. are always available. It is a time when the community comes together in a hidden-away setting to enjoy good company and to get their hands on those all-important plants.
Paul Summersby
