At the beginning of last century, around 1904, a Mr John Walker and three friends – Mr F S Blake and two brothers, Percy and William Street, started a development circle with the leader and medium being John Walker. He was a good trance and physical medium, and sometimes, this physical power was very dominant. Objects were moved about at the request of the sitters, causing a lot of interest and at times, amusement.
This went on for some time until one night, a Spirit Control came through their leader and said, “Well boys, you’ve had your fun, now you must get down to serious work.” He gave them to understand that they were to help lay the foundations for a church, which was to be under the control of a band of workers from the spirit side of life. They were to be used as the mouthpiece through whom they hoped to pass to earth, some of the knowledge they had acquired.
When they had developed far enough, they started meetings in a small studio now occupied by the Charminster Road Post Office.
The Society was opened in 1905. They shortly moved to premises in what was then called Town Hall Avenue, where the Sunday services were held in a café. It was here that Vincent N. Turvey, an author, did so much work. Some time later a Mr Hiscock and a Mrs Hayter, who had been members for some time, opened the church which is still doing good work in Charminster Road today.
The Membership was now steadily growing. After various changes, we settled for a time in the Wilberforce Halls, Holdenhurst Road, and here we started to form ourselves into a church, allying ourselves with the Spiritualists’ National Union. Rules were formed and an organised Council and membership established. On leaving Wilberforce Hall in 1920-1921, we went to the Theosophical Rooms in Lansdowne Road.
We had now been wandering about for some time, and at a committee meeting we arranged that the committee members were to search and visit all premises, which might prove suitable.