Smallbridge Matthew Street Primitive Methodist chapel

Smallbridge lies about 1½ miles NE of Rochdale on the Halifax Road and rather less than 2 miles WSW of Littleborough.

In 1870-72, John Manus Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (in ‘A Vision of Britain’) described Smallbridge like this:

‘Smallbridge, a village and a chapelry in Rochdale parish, Lancashire. The village stands on the river Roch, 2 miles NE of Rochdale r. station; and has …. numerous factories. The chapelry was constituted in 1844, and curtailed in 1867. … Pop. in 1861, of the original chapelry, 5,644; of the chapelry as curtailed in 1867, 3,554. … The church is good; and there are chapels for Independents [Congregational] and Methodists [Primitive, Wesleyan and Free United], and a national school. ‘

1824: The Rochdale Observer reported on 1 April 1916 about a fund-raising event at the Smallbridge P.M. Chapel: ‘The Rev. A. J. Herod also spoke, giving a historical resumé of the chapel’s progress from the year 1824.’ More of this report is given below.

1836: The 1851 Census Return for a preaching place in Smallbridge can be seen here; it was ‘erected’ (opened?) on 13 November 1836.

1851: The 1851 Census Return is only for a preaching place – no mention of a chapel.

1865/6: According to a document in the archives of the Wardle and Smallbridge History Group, the society paid £500 for an old Congregationalist building at the end of Chapel Yard; the Congregationalists moved to a much larger building on Halifax Road. The Lancashire Online Parish Clerks website, Smallbridge Congregational page, gives the Church Roll Records dating from 1837.

The 1847/8 6” OS map shows that the Congregationalist chapel had not yet been built; the site is empty apart from a tiny building about 12 feet square.

The chapel can be seen on the 1890 1-to-500 Town Plan labelled ‘Methodist Chapel (Primitive) (Seats for 300)’; it scales at 38’ x 32’. The chapel stands on Matthew Street (parallel to the Halifax Road), about 60 yards south of the junction where Wardle Road forks off Halifax Road.

1867: A chapel along with three preaching places appears on the 1867 List of Places for Public Religious Worship, Lancashire No. 111.

1869: The Slater’s Trade Directory for Rochdale lists thirteen PM Places of Worship including Smallbridge (see ‘Rochdale and Area PM Societies and Chapels’ on this website).

The first reference to the Smallbridge PM School in the Rochdale Observer was on 12 June 1869 – a talk entitled ‘The Disadvantages of the Publican’s Trade’.

1872: The first newspaper reference to the chapel was on 16 November 1872 – two sermons were preached on Foreign Missions.

1884: The first newspaper reference to the Sunday School was on 29 November 1884 – a report on the annual tea party and entertainment. There was then a break in reporting until 1903.

1903: The Rochdale Observer reported on 7 February 1903 on special services to celebrate the opening of a new organ.

1916: The Rochdale Observer reported on 1 April 1916: ‘Smallbridge P.M. Chapel was opened on Thursday afternoon … The object of the effort is to raise about £100, and this amount will be devoted towards clearing off the debt on the chapel and to provide for necessary renovations. … the stalls contained a choice selection of both useful and ornamental articles. … The Rev. A. J. Herod also spoke, giving a historical resume of the chapel’s progress from the year 1824.’

1918: The Rochdale Observer reported on 22 May 1918 that: ‘The anniversary services … were held on Sunday under unusual circumstances. About a fortnight ago it became [necessary to] make certain structural repairs [to the chapel], which necessitated the hiring of the assembly room at the Egerton Conservative Club …’.

A Rochdale Observer article of 30^th September 1922 quoted in the document mentioned in the 1865/6 entry above (but which I have been unable to trace) says:

‘It was a mistake buying a second hand building as it was constantly needing repair. In 1918 the state of the roof was critical and was almost falling in and had to be demolished.

Ordinary activities had to be held in the schoolroom and special services were held in the Conservative Club (Egerton) at the bottom of Wardle Road.

Recently the Congregationalists celebrated their centenary and 200 people walked down to the old building, and sang a hymn and said prayers.’

There were no more newspaper reports about the chapel or school.

1928: The 1928 6” OS map shows the site to be empty.

The entries for Primitive Methodist ministers on this website contain no references to this chapel but the following lay people were associated with it: