Littleworth Primitive Methodist chapel

The 1882 Primitive Methodist magazine tells us that land was obtained from Oriel College, Oxford, for the building of a new Primitive Methodist chapel at Littleworth in the Vale of the White Horse. The chapel was in the Faringdon circuit.

For over fifty years previously, services had been held in a cottage.

The 1899 Ordnance Survey map shows a Primitive Methodist chapel away from the main street and to the west of it.  Thanks to Dave Headey for providing the photographs and confirming that the present building on the site with a complex footprint incorporates the former chapel.

Dave also provides the story of how the society acquired the land to build the chapel. It was written by one of the descendants of a founder (and passed to him by another):

“James (Smart) became a local preacher and so did some of his sons. In 1881 they finally secured a piece of land on which to build a chapel. Mum never tired of telling the story of how a group of men walked to Oxford, to wait on the Oriel College dons who owned most of the village of Littleworth.

When they were asked ’What do you preach from?’ one man said, ‘A waggon’ and another said ‘the bible’ It seemed that the gentlemen were so impressed that they granted a building site, free of charge.

Mary Greetham”

Brilliant!

Reference

Primitive Methodist magazine 1882 page 572