Methodist Chapels – The Allotment had three primitive methodist chapels in its past history. Most Primitive Methodist movements started off meeting in a house belonging to one of the congregation, as the movement grew they soon had to look for larger premises.

The first chapel was in Allotment or Northumberland Square, roughly the location of the present Sambucas car park. From what little information we have, the first cpael was very similar to the rows of houding in the Old Allotment, not uncommons for Primitive Methodists, dozens of “Chapels” began as a room in domeones house. For anyone wanting to read much more om the PM movemen, the link is to a website dedicated to that topic. Our village chapels are in their database.

The Primitive Methodists Organisation

Chapel 1 – We know

• The chapel opened on 26 February 1832
• Preachers at the opening were Mrs Jackson, Rev Stowell and T Jackson
• It measured 18′(w) x 30′(l)
• T Taylor built it free of expense
• The society had 43 members
• They planned to start a  Sunday school very soon
• There was no other church in the village

Chapel 2

The brewery building next to the Northumberland Arms had long been unused, the first chapel was no longer large enough, and they took up a lease on the brewery.

Chapel 3

The chapel congregation had slowly declined in the 1900’s, they downsized to the 3rd chapel which is now a single storey private house, next to the nursery building

Background Information

Primitive Methodists were marked by the relatively plain design of their chapels and their low church worship, compared with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, from which they had split. Their social base was among the poorer members of society, who appreciated its content (damnation, salvation, sinners and saints) and its style (direct, spontaneous and passionate). It was democratic and locally controlled, as compared with the more middle-class Wesleyan Methodists and the establishment-controlled Church of England, which were not democratic in governance (Wikipedia)