History of Horley

Miss Wardle was the PRESIDENT and FOUNDER of Horley Spiritualist Church and this is her Story.

She was born in Star Street Peterborough. She first attended a Spiritualist Church at the age of Ten years old.

She was dressed as a Lavender Girl at age Eleven, at Baker Street SNU Church Doncaster in Yorkshire, for their Bazaar.

Miss Wardle became a Medium at the age of Seventeen years old. Her first service away from home was in Ipswich Suffolk at the Ipswich Psychic Research Society known now as the Cedars Spiritualist Church which is in Anglesea Road in Ipswich. She also served the Social Settlement Hall in Fore Street Ipswich.

She travelled all around Great Britain as a Medium until the 1939-1945 War, when travelling in darkness became rather difficult.

She was called up to join one of the Services during the war years, but politely refused to join, being a Conscientious Objector to war.  She was taken to court and fined. When asked again, once more she refused.  Again, she was taken to court. Many people wrote letters to the Court about her ability as a Healer and the need of her services as a Minister to the people. Her plea was accepted.

She came to live in Ipswich at the age of Twenty One Years old, where she lived and worked in Cauldwell Hall Road.

Miss Wardle met Mr. Barker whilst serving churches in Ipswich, when she relayed messages from Annie, his Fiancée, who had died whilst he was in Canada. Mr Barker and Annie were very, very young. He had his first sitting with a Medium, thirty years later.

The young lady, Annie, came and spoke through a medium, thus proving to him, that life continued after death.  Shortly after this Miss Wardle often met Mr Barker, whilst serving Felixstowe and Ipswich Spiritualist Churches and Annie would come and speak through Miss Wardle to Mr Barker. On one such occasion Annie told Mr Barker to go to the village near Perth, Scotland, where she was born, and talk to her family, and tell them of all Annie had told him of the Spirit World and communication, and the proof she had given of herself.

She also told him, by doing this as soon as possible, he would save himself from having a serious illness, but alas, he did not go. He did become very ill with Pneumonia and nearly passed over.  During this illness he visited the Spirit World. Once he was well again, he did go to the village near Perth, and related his story to her family.

On his return to Ipswich, he asked Miss Wardle, to go with him to Perth, and take Spiritualist Meetings, to help others to know The Great Truth, of a definite Life After Death.  They set off together to Perth and distributed leaflets in every household, telling them the times and dates of meetings, the Halls were packed.

Annie, Mr Barker’s young friend, who was in Spirit, used to work in the Beetling Mills, which is to do with the making of linen.  There were four rows of men at one of the services who apparently worked at the Beetling Mills.  Miss Wardle spoke to one of them, describing his father to him and named him as William, and repeated the words his father gave her – “The King, The King, The King”.

The man said No to everything, and denied all that had been given to him. The next morning Miss Wardle and Mr Barker visited the local shop where the good lady who served them said “I hear you had a very good meeting last night”.  Miss Wardle related how the gentleman could not accept her message to him. The shopkeeper said, “Well lass, the other men gave him a good hiding after the meeting because they all knew how true his message was. You see, this gentleman was a Warder at Perth Prison and his uniform was replaced  with a brand new one with lovely shining buttons, when the children in the street saw him they said “Here look, here comes the King”, and from then on he was known as The King.

Miss Wardle returned to Peterborough and Mr. Barker remained in Scotland.

On Miss Wardle’s return to Peterborough, Annie Mittlesham, Mr Barker’s young Fiancée, now in Spirit, started automatic writing through Miss Wardle. Giving Miss Wardle instructions that her Mother, Aunt and Mr Barker were to live in Ipswich and open a Healing Centre there, working together.

Miss Wardle was rather shocked, as her Mother and Aunt had never met Mr Barker.  Although they were unsettled in Peterborough, they had no thoughts of anything like that.  Annie was very persistent and said “Mr Barker will write and ask you to do another Tour in Scotland. When you do go up you will find I’ve given him exactly the same instructions as I’ve given you”.

In due course the letter came, asking Miss Wardle to go to Scotland, and she said to her Mother, “What am I to do”.  her Mother replied, “well, if you find it correct and Annie has given Mr Barker the same  instruction I am prepared to go along with it and take the risk”. “So along I went”, said Miss Wardle, usually as soon as Mr Barker saw me he would say “When can I have a sitting”.  This time he did not. Nothing was said about sittings or Annie, and I was getting impatient to know the truth.  So I said, “Mr Barker, don’t you want a sitting, as I am free this afternoon”.  “Oh yes please”, he replied.

At the end of the sitting he was very excited and said, “Excuse me, I want to return to my digs to get something to show you.  I won’t be long”. He came back with all this writing from Annie, exactly the same as received by me from Annie whilst in Peterborough, so then I told him of my letter and that my Mother was prepared to go along with it. So a few days later we had another sitting, in which we were told exactly what to do. Annie said I had a Church booking in Ipswich in March, this was now January.  I was to stay in Ipswich an extra day and to tell no-one I was staying an extra day except a friend at Felixstowe.

I was to stay with her on Monday and Tuesday and find this house for sale in Ipswich. I had been shown Spiritually, a picture of the front door of the house. Having found the house, I was then to negotiate with the owner over the price, and having agreed a price I was then to see Cubitt the builder, who was a cousin of Mr Barker’s and ask him to do a survey.  Then I was to catch the six-thirty train to Peterborough.

Mr Barker was to buy the house and my Mother was to furnish it, so this is exactly what happened.  When  the day came the Estate Agent showed me many houses during the morning, but none were right.  Lunch time came, so he said he would meet me again at 2pm. He did but said that there were no more houses for me to see.  I said, “there has to be, I have got to find the house today”.  He said, “well, I know of one more but it is a Nursing Home and the owner is giving it up. The Matron is difficult and I doubt if  she will let you see it.”  “Right,” I said “Let’s go and see”.

At the house, the Agent went on his own to enquire if I could see it.  Looking out of the car I saw the door, the Right One!  I hurried out and arrived at the door at the same time as the Agent, and I pleaded with the Matron to let me see it, as I had to catch a train to Peterborough. I was let in and she told me who the Owner was.  I went to see her and negotiated a price.  I saw Mr. Cubitt the builder, and caught the 6.30 train to Peterborough. Just as I had been told.

We were in the house eight years, where there were held regular Healing Services and Private Readings. Towards the end of the eight years we were advised by my Guide that it was time to move to a large property, where eventually a Spiritualist Church would be built.  We moved to Horley House, 331 London Road, Ipswich, approximately 1946 and held regular Healing and Spiritualist Meetings in a large room which had a platform.

Very shortly after moving Mr Barker collapsed and passed in the garden of the house. This was a dreadful shock. Together with her Mother, Miss Wardle continued with Healing and Services. Mr. Jack Robinson joined them, helping with the growing of daffodils, which were sold in Florist shops in Ipswich.  Jack also had a Photographers shop, which helped them continue with the Spiritualist work.

In August 1963 the Horley Spiritualist Association was formed with four Trustees and they joined the Charity Commission. Miss Wardle gave her own money to this Horley Spiritualist Association, to help towards a Church to be built within twenty one years.

Every step of the way ahead was guided by Miss Wardle’s Guide, known as The Teacher.  Together the four Trustees and other helpers arranged Garden Parties, Sales of Work, Beatle Drives, Coffee Mornings, etc., and the monies together with bequests that had been left to Miss Wardle personally, for all the help she had given to the people were donated to the Horley Spiritualist Association for the future Church.

During 1970-71 it was realised that costs were beginning to get quite high. The Association were short of a certain sum of money to build the church and again as guided by The Teacher, Miss Wardle presented to the bank, a Will, which left a certain property to her by  gentleman of the road.

The property was occupied and until the occupant passed the property could not be sold. The bank accepted these conditions and a mortgage was arranged. Horley Spiritualist Association Church was built and opened by Mr Gordon Higginson, of the SNU on the 26th August 1972, being 9 years from the start of the Association.

The Church holds 98 seats in the Main Body.  These seats are Cinema seats, which were bought many years previously to the Church opening, from Framlingham Cinema which closed.  The seats were kept by Miss Wardle in her garage.  A gentleman whom Miss Wardle had helped spiritually had the seats recovered in blue velvet at his factory. The gentleman’s wife had been told by doctors that she could never have children of her own, but with the aid of Spiritual Healing, they eventually had a son.

Additional seating can be arranged for approximately another 100 people via the folding doors to the Schoolroom. The Church also has a kitchen, Medium’s quiet room, Library, toilets and hallway.

Miss Wardle sold 331 London Road adjacent to Horley Spiritualist Association Church during 1981-82, to have a bungalow built to the rear of the Church.  This accommodated herself, being the Minister and Resident Medium.  Also, Mr Jack Robinson, a fellow Founder and Trustee. Together with private facilities for visiting Mediums.

Mr Jack Robinson passed on 29th August 1988.

Miss Wardle passed on 18th November 1990.

Miss Wardle left the bungalow, known as Horley Manse 345 London Road to Horley Spiritualist Association, for the use of the current Resident Medium, and Ministers and Mediums of the future.

This was all accomplished by this very beautiful and wise lady, Miss R E Wardle, together with her Guide and many other Friends of Horley Spiritualist Association.

This Church is not affiliated to any other organisation – it is simply Spiritualism.

Mr Barker who helped to instigate it, was a very well known Healer in Ipswich and surrounding districts.

He was the Author of a book ‘Experiences of a Spiritual Healer by an East Anglian Farmer’, Mr Barker being the Farmer himself.

Miss Wardle also instigated a book called ‘God’s Kingdom Come’, which is in the Library.  Much of latterly current events are prophesised in that book.