Tutbury Primitive Methodist Chapel
6A Cornmill Lane, Tutbury, Burton on Trent, DE13 9HA Staffordshire
The first Primitive Methodist chapel was in Castle Street, but moved in 1831 to a chapel in Cornmill Lane. This was closed in about 1914 and converted to a domestic dwelling in the 1930’s. It is now numbered 6A.
The style of the building is clearly different from the other houses in the street, but there is nothing that would obviously indicate its original use.
The local Tutbury museum have provided the two early images. The first depicts the first PM chapel in Castle Street Tutbury, pre-dating the 1831 chapel. The museum suggests that the chapel was the building at the extreme left of the photograph- buildings no longer existing.
The second photograph shows the 1831 chapel in the process of being converted into a domestic residence in 1921. The roof was then in the process of being raised to provide headrooms for the bedrooms.
The Tutbury museum has a copy of “Medieval Tutbury” by Rev. N Edwards, which refers to Elizabeth Evans missioning the village after her experiences visiting in Derby Goal, (depicted in “Adam Bede”). This account indicates that she was invited by local people and not by the minister. She encountered some opposition but preached, according to the account, in the Castle Street chapel- which if it is true indicates that it had to be the Primitive Methodist congregation.
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The opening account is in the 1832 magazine.
There’s an account by W Gotherd in the Primitive Methodist magazine (page 225) of the opening of the 1831 chapel. Opening services took place on October 10th and were conducted by J Woolley and Hugh Bourne.
The new chapel measured 21′(w) x 28′(l) and the society was assisted in the building by local farmers and tradesmen.
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