Wakefield church will close down after its congregation fell to fewer than 10 people
A church in Wakefield is set to close its doors after its last elder retires.
Flanshaw Lane United Reformed Church was established 158 years ago.
Sylvia Gower, the last elder at the church, said she would step down from her role.
Mrs Gower is in her late eighties and said there was no one left to take the mantle when she retires.
But she said the church would always have a special place in her heart. She said: “It's one of those churches that when you walk in you always feel welcome.
"When someone strange comes in they are always greeted, they are told what we do and how we do it and we have coffee at the end of it.
“The group of us really felt the importance of the church and I have found it very peaceful. I lost my husband last year and I found it gives me peace when I go.
"I made the decision because of my age but unfortunately there is no one else to take my place.
“I am upset but I myself could not carry on and there is not another elder to take my place.”
She said the church is likely to be put up for sale after it closes and was not aware if there was a covenant that meant the building had to be used as a place of worship.
The church was established in 1866 by industrialist William Oakes, who died in 1871, aged 62, and is buried at the front of the graveyard.
The Oakes were non-conformist and William Oakes was a considerable benefactor to the people of Flanshaw. The church and the land cost £1,000.
William and his two brothers Henry and Philip took over the running of Flanshaw Mill in 1841 from their father Benjamin and were hugely successful. The church ran a Sunday school and part-time day school for the children who worked in the mill.
Oakes Street off Flanshaw Lane was named after the family.
Mrs Gower added: “It has meant a lot to me going every Sunday – we used to have a lot going on including coffee mornings and parties.
"We would go out for meals or we would have a meal there. Different things we used to do on different days and it did mean an awful lot. It still does.”
The other two elders of the church died last year, Mrs Gower said.
The final service will be held at 2.30pm on September 15 and descendants
of William Oakes have been invited to attend.