West Allotment Primitive Methodist chapel 1832

But where was it?

Allotment Primitive Methodist chapel

The 1832 Primitive Methodist magazine contains an account by T Jackson of the opening of a Primitive Methodist chapel at a place called simply “Allottment” (sic).

But where was it?  Searching various gazetteers did not identify a place and we don’t get from the account the usual information such as the circuit the chapel was in that would enable it to be tracked down.

What we do know is:

  • the chapel opened on 26 February 1832
  • preachers at the opening were Mrs Jackson, Rev Stowell and T Jackson
  • it measured 18′(w) x 30′(l)
  • T Taylor built it free of expense
  • the society had 43 members
  • they planned to start a  Sunday school very soon
  • there was no other church in the village

Thanks to the comments below, I think we can now confidently locate this page within Northumberland.  “Allottment” turns out to be West Allotment,  close by the A19 in North Tyneside. And the 1832 chapel was the first of three Primitive Methodist chapels to be built there. John Walley tells us that it would have been sited at approx. 55.02829725516241, -1.511046781928493 behind what in 2021 is Sambuca Braise Station. It was in a square of miners single story cottages, very similar to the chapel at nearby Benton Square.  It is labelled on the 1861 Ordnance Survey map.

John has filled in more of the story and what happened next, complete with pictures, on this page.

Grid ref: NZ 3133 7053

Reference

Primitive Methodist magazine 1832 page 229

Comments about this page

  • Paul Wood,

    Read through your post and this is one I can help on.

    The PM Chapel at Benton Square is separate from those at the Old Allotment, Northumberland. Another one to add to the website. I’ll finish my fact finding on the Old Allotments Chapels and move to Benton Square next.

    I have a photo which I will submit and the co-ords are approx 55.024183051034534, -1.5339528469031518.

    I’ve spent years logging the small mining villages around my home, Benton Square being about a mile away. Benton Square still exists as the name of a small size industrial estate, anything of merit will be long gone.

    By John Walley (14/06/2021)
  • The West Allotment chapel still exists. After closure it was used as a village hall, community centre, and now for a charity to store event furniture. I have been trying to find a keyholder. I know the building belongs to the Duke of Northumberland Estates.

    It would be good to take an internal and external photographic record before it decays any further.

    The postal address is Benton Road, West Allotment, North Tyneside, NE27 0EP

    Grid Ref 55.02850137268235, -1.5114312829301366

    By John Walley (07/06/2021)
  • Reading an interesting article today about the election of Liberal MPs in Northumberland, I came across a reference to a meeting being held at Allotment Primitive Methodist chapel. Upon further reading, this was later renamed Backworth Church Street PM

    By Richard Jennings (22/08/2020)
  • The OS Map is dated Surveyed in 1858 and published in 1865. If the records in the Newcastle Records office state that the Benton Allotment Chapel opened in 1904 then has there been two Chapels at this site. Is the Records Office Chapel showing theat a new Chapel replaced a older Chapel.

    By Paul Wood (06/10/2019)
  • West Allotment PM Chapel (near Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne), opened about 1904 and closed around 1983. Records relating to the chapel are held at Tyne & Wear Archives under reference C.SH1.

    By Richard Jennings (Newcastle District Archivist) (24/09/2019)
  • Thanks Paul; that seems a reasonable identification

    By Christopher Hill (30/08/2019)
  • There is a place called Allotment to the North East and in the suberbs of Newcastle On Tyne. A PM Chapel is marked on the Western Edge of West Allotment on the early OS Maps near a place called Benton Square. Sadly development and obvious names of places moving with the development mean I canot give you an exact NGR.

    By Paul Wood (28/08/2019)

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