William Haslam's Vicarage - Baldhu (1847-1855)
Haslam had an unexpected visitor early one morning; his name was Billy Bray. You can read about the life of Billy Bray elsewhere on this website, including the story of his visit to Baldhu. Suffice it to say here that this extraordinary little man had been told by God that He would give him every soul on the hill where the church was and Billy had been praying for it for twenty years. He had come to see if everyone there was saved and he picked Haslam up and ran with him around the dining room table, rejoicing all the way. He had come three years earlier but only to find an ‘old Pusey’ (a High Churchman) in the pulpit, but God told him that he had come too early. God finally gave him permission to come late the previous night and so he immediately got dressed and travelled all night to see the fruits of his praying.
The photo on the right is the dining room that Billy ran around.