From Chapel to Office Hub: The Story Behind Our Building

One of the things we hear most when people walk through our doors is: “I’ve always wondered what was in here!”

And we get it — the building does stand out. Can we call it iconic? I think so! With its bold red brick and tall, gothic arched windows, it’s hard to miss. Even after 13 years of working here, I still catch myself just watching the light come in through those huge windows, especially now they’ve been upgraded with double glazing.

Digging Into the Past

When we started the renovation, we knew the building’s history mattered, not just to us, but to the whole community. We didn’t want to strip that away, so we began researching.

Thanks to the help of Mike Walton from the Middlewich Heritage Trust, we uncovered some brilliant photos and learnt more about what was here before us. The story goes back to 1863, when the original congregation met at the Friends' Meeting House at Newton Bank. By 1883, the Chester Road Methodist Church was officially rebuilt on its current site as part of the United Methodist Free Churches, later becoming the United Methodist Church in 1907.

A Local Landmark

There’s an amazing photo from the 1950s showing the chapel stood next to Whiston’s Garage, right at the junction of Chester Road, Wheelock Street, and Nantwich Road, back when it was a real centre of town life.

“The Chester Road Methodist Chapel has always had a strong presence in Middlewich, a symbol of both faith and community.”
— Dave Roberts, The Middlewich Diary

Today, the landscape has changed a little, there’s a Lidl where the garage once stood, but many of the houses you see in those old photos are still right across the road.

We’ve even repurposed the chapel’s original front doors; they now stand proudly inside the building as internal doors. A small way to carry the past into the present.

Key Milestones

• 1883 Chapel rebuilt on Chester Road
• 1983 100 years of worship
• 1997 Bomfords Office Products moved in
• 2008 Weaver Business Machines and Bomfords Office Products joined forces
• Today Home of Weaver & Bomfords and our brand new showroom

Looking Ahead

The congregation may have moved on, but the building’s story continues. Now known as Church House, it’s home to Weaver & Bomfords, a long-standing local business, proud to serve Cheshire and beyond.

Before email and cloud storage, Bomfords was where you went for typewriters and carbon paper. Today, we offer everything from managed print services to full office fit outs all across the UK.

Our new showroom (almost complete!) celebrates both what we do and where we’ve come from. We’re proud to give this space a new lease of life, still rooted in values of service, connection, and community.

Still Standing, Still Serving

You can feel the building’s past in every brick, window, and hallway. It’s a daily reminder that we’re part of something bigger and older than ourselves. And now, with our team, office space, and new showroom all under one roof, we’re making the most of it.

Want to dig deeper into Middlewich’s history? Here are some great places to start:

• The Middlewich Diary Blog for local stories and rare archive photos
• Middlewich Heritage for old maps and records from the area

We’re proud to be part of Middlewich’s story.

Now, let’s get this showroom open!