Helmsley Primitive Methodist chapel

Bridge Street, Helmsley

former Helmsley Primitive Methodist chapel
Keith Guyler 1992

Keith Guyler’s notes say that the Primitive Methodists used a Quaker meeting house.  The date on the front of the building is 1812 and it was extended in 1831.

It was used until the 1970s but Keith Guyler described it as derelict at the time of his photograph.  I am unable to find it on Google Street View in 2009, but that may be because I don’t know exactly where to look.  Does it still exist?

Comments about this page

  • Thanks for the added clarity and sources Pat.

    By Christopher Hill (29/03/2020)
  • The closure of the Quakers Friends Meeting House in Helmsley occurred in the summer of 1841. In 1844 the Helmsley Primitive Methodist Society, having no building of their own, applied to rent the disused building of the Friends, and an amicable agreement was reached which has persisted until the present day 1960s)
    Ref: The History of Helmsley, Rievaulx and District

    The Old Meeting House was built as a venue for Quaker meetings in 1812, at a cost of around £900. Quaker numbers had diminished in Helmsley by 1844 and the building was rented by the Primitive Methodists, who used it regularly until 1980, when the building became disused. It remained so until it was purchased from the Society of Friends in 1984 by the Old Meeting House Trust for the sum of £3,000, initially with a view to it becoming the home of the Helmsley Festival – the forerunner of the present Ryedale Festival.
    Today the Helmsley Arts Centre.

    Ref: The Helmsley Arts Centre website

    By Pat Donnor (28/03/2020)
  • Now demolished and replaced by a small theatre

    By Colin Dews (02/03/2018)
  • Julian,

    The original photograph is with the Guyler archive held at the Oxford Brookes University Library. The best we can do is for you to copy the picture above from the site for your own personal use. If you click on the picture, a window will open with the original scan which ought to give you reasonable resolution. You can then download that to your own computer.

    By Geoff Dickinson (18/04/2016)
  • Hello,I have recently purchased some crockery stamped’ Helmsley Primitive chapel’ would dearly like a copy of this snap to accompany it! any chance of a photo Regards Julian

    By Julian Langston (17/04/2016)
  • Thanks for the update.  It’s good to see that the building is used by the community -I’m sure the original members would have approved.  I don’t have any further pictures I’m afraid, but other visitors to this site may well have.  There will also be references to Helmsley Primitive Methodists either by searching this site or spending a while (preferably on a wet afternoon) browsing the Primitive Methodist magazine – see the links on the Research Resources page.

    By Christopher Hill (30/04/2015)
  • It’s inaccessible to Google StreetView – for better or worse! 

    The building was developed into the thriving Helmsley Arts Centre – some information, dates and history are given here http://www.helmsleyarts.co.uk/about-us

    I would be interested, Christopher, if you had (or knew the whereabouts of) any further images of this splendid building…

    Cheers!

    By oleredeye (29/04/2015)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.