Sutton Bonington Primitive Methodist chapel

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Sutton Bonington PM chapel March 2014

Christopher Hill

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Sutton Bonington PM chapel used as a garage March 2014

Christopher Hill

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Loughborough Circuit Primitive Methodist chapels in the early Twentieth Century

Christian Messenger 1911/92

In the 19th century, Sutton Bonington had three Methodist chapels – Wesleyan, Primitive and United.    At first the chapels were fiercely independent, but relationships softened in time and, for example, they would from time to time attend each other’s Sunday School Anniversary services.

The 1822 Loughborough plan in Kendall’s history of the PM church shows two services at Sutton Bonington each Sunday – 2.00 and 6.00p.m.. The PM chapel was opened in 1832 and has a tablet inscribed with the date and the builders name – T.King.  It did not acquire a harmonium to accompany singing until 1906 – Mr Chadburn was the “harmoniumist”.  Prior to that, singing was accompanied by cellos and flutes.  In 1895 “Brother Ecole was asked to write to Mr John Hardy asking him to give up the chello (sic) belonging to the chapel.”  Either he didn’t write or the message was ignored because 11 years later Rev Hancox was again chasing Mr Hardy for the return of “the chella” (sic).

The PM chapel closed in 1914 because of falling numbers when the Chadburn family left the village.  The remaining congregation joined the United Methodists.

Although the front of the building shown in the photographs appears as it originally was, in a photograph of 1968 it is shown as a garage with the lower half consisting of a single metal door extending the whole width of the building.  However, in the 1970s the front was sympathetically re-instated and the garage door moved to the side of the building.

Source:

Sutton Bonington Local History Society (1986) Remembering Sutton Bonington

Kendall (1907): History of the Primitive Methodist Connexion