Chesterfield Derby Road Primitive Methodist Mission Hall

The 1898 Primitive Methodist magazine tells the story of the opening of a new iron mission room in the rapidly growing area of Derby Road. The story goes that  on the day of the opening a curate of the parish church stationed himself at the door and carefully scrutinised everyone that went in. He did not accept the invitation to go in and hear the opening  sermon by the President, “when he might have come out a wiser and better man.  His action has been the cause of much comment in the town and neighbourhood and has, perhaps, called the attention of many to this mission who might not otherwise have noticed it.”

The initiative to build the chapel was from the society at Holywell Cross.

The 1897 Ordnance Survey map shows a mission room on the west side of Derby Road, just south of where the St John’s Ambulance headquarter is in 2019. Was that it?

Reference

Primitive Methodist magazine October 1898 page 792