A SALVATION Army corps which thrived despite vehement initial opposition is searching for a new home after 114 years in its Darlington Citadel.

The hall in Northgate was built by the church eight years after the borough's corps was formed by a trio of girls who came to the town known as the Hallelujah Lasses.

They held their first meetings in the 2,000-capacity Livingstone Hall, in High Northgate, with the aim of assaulting "the stronghold of Satan in the town".

Despite fierce opposition from the (mostly Quaker) public - one publican reputedly offered £100 for them to be driven from the town - they persisted and within ten days had 200 converts.

The Citadel in Northgate was built in 1887, at a cost of £3,160.

Today, because of the age of the building and the growing cost of its upkeep, the Salvation Army, which also operates sheltered accommodation in Darlington, is looking for a new church.

The Salvation Army has asked estate agents to seek potential new buildings. Then, with the help of Darlington Borough Council, it will evaluate what services are needed which it can help to provide.

The organisation will then decide on which site it will choose as its new home in the area.

Lieutenant Anne Crane, who, with her husband, Stuart, minister to the Northgate corps, said the proposed move was still in its early stages.

"We haven't even got a site, yet. It is getting quite old and it's costing a little bit of money - perhaps more than we've got - to keep repairing it. We are managing, but it won't always be so."

Lt Crane said: "If a site was proposed, then we would talk to the local authority to see what services they think would need to go in there. If it's something we think we would need to help with, we would consider whether that area was right."

In 1979, the Citadel reopened after a two-year facelift in time for the corps' centenary.