Barford Primitive Methodist chapel

West Street Barford St. Martin SALISBURY SP3 4AH

Barford St Martin Primitive Methodist chapel
Keith Guyler 1992
Return from Barford St Martin Primitive Methodist chapel in the 1851 Census of Places of Public Religious Worship
Provided by David Tonks

Barford St Martin is one of the villages in the Nadder valley to the west of Wilton.  The Primitive Methodist chapel on West Street is no longer in use but clearly proclaims the date 1902 in the arch over the central window.

  • There is a bit of confusion in the the notes with Keith Guyler’s photograph which say that the chapel was opened in 1869 and closed in 1902; it appears his notes relate to a previous chapel.
  • The Wiltshire Community History website says that “By 1830 a group of Primitive Methodists were meeting here and were strong enough to build a chapel. A certificate for a meeting house was issued in 1931 and they continued to meet here. In 1932 both branches of Methodism, Wesleyans and Primitives, united and this became the Barford Methodist Chapel. It is no longer in use.”  Is the 1931 date inaccurate?

Can anyone explain this?

A further piece of the jigsaw comes from the return from Barford Primitive Methodist chapel in the 1851 Census of Places of Public Religious Worship. Joseph Burch, the leader, says that the chapel which accommodated 142 was opened in 1845. On Census Sunday, 112 people attended in the afternoon and 97 in the evening.  There was a Sunday School of 23-25 scholars.

On Google Street View in June 2011 it is in use as a house.


Reference:

Wiltshire Community History website accessed August 6th 2015

Comments about this page

  • I wonder what the society members would think of the price! I was a bit confused by the estate agent’s advertising of the property as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel. Not only is it marked as Primitive Methodist chapel on a series of old Ordnance Survey maps, it does actually say “Primitive Methodist 1902” carved into the stonework on the front!

    By Christopher Hill (01/04/2023)
  • This chapel has been converted for residential use, with 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms and 2 bathroom. In March 2023 it was listed as for sale at £585,000 on: https://uniquepropertycompany.co.uk/property-results/for-sale/beautiful-wesleyan-chapel-wiltshire-for-sale/

    By Peter Steadman (01/04/2023)
  • This chapel was certainly open and in use into the 1970s/80s I went to Sunday School there in the 1960’s and attended weddings there.

    By Marion Swindells (26/07/2022)

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