This is the third Chapel on this site and is one of the most prominent buildings in Redruth. It stands on the site of a Chapel built in 1760 for the first Methodist Society in Redruth, which was probably formed in 1743.
John Wesley visited Redruth several times, the first in 1745, when he wrote on June 19th that they were set upon by forty of fifty ruffians, which included being pelted with stones. In 1760 he wrote of quite a change. "So is the roughest become one of the quietest towns in England". He also wrote on Monday 9th September 1765 "The room would by no means contain the congregation at five in the morning. How is this town changed"?
The present Chapel with its front of Cornish Granite, was completed in the 1820s at a cost of £5,000. In 1866 it was enlarged, and in 1885 the present Pulpit was erected, which must be one of the finest around.
Nicholas Pevsner in his "Buildings of England" describes the building as a "proud plain rectangle... a larger edition of the typical Cornish Methodist Chapel".
The seating was at one time 1500, but is now limited to 850. In 1993, a modern vestibule, with toilets and kitchen area replaced the ground floor back pews which were tiered, and known as "The House of Lords". this allows smaller meetings to take place in this building.
Inside Redruth Wesley Chapel
The organ was probably built by Sweetland of Bath and is widely known as a fine instrument, probably only bettered locally by that in Truro Cathedral.
During the Second World War, the Chapel suffered damage from two evening bombing raids, and many of its windows were shattered and extensive damage was done to the ceiling.
The Memorial Buildings were completed in the late 1800s to commemorate the centenary of the death of John Wesley, and there is a stained glass window of him in the Memorial Hall.
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Now for the cache :- From the posted co-ords, answer the two questions to work out the final.
1) The Date the Wesley Chapel was built = ABCD.
2) The date the Wesley Centenary Memorial Hall was built = EFGH.
The cache can be found at - N50*13.(G-H)(C+H)D, W005*13.(A+E+H)(B-F)(G-C)
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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