Hathern Tanners Lane Primitive Methodist chapel

The first photograph shows the site of the Primitive Methodist Chapel and Sunday school in Tanners Lane, Hathern. The garden wall to the right is all that remains of the chapel built in 1852, and the school in 1886. the black and white photograph is reproduced from the Christian Messenger 1911, p 92, and shows the chapel as it was.

A Primitive Methodist society was meeting in the village as early as 1822, when weekly services appear on the Loughborough Circuit plan. The previous chapel had been erected in 1826, and had 95 free and 17 other sittings, according to the 1851 religious census. [1] In 1829 it had a congregation of 13 people, according to the returns of dissenters [2]

On the 31^st March 1851 the afternoon attendance was given as 45, with 95 attending in the evening. No Sunday Scholars were counted. Edward Lowe, the Steward, mentioned that the congregation had recently purchased some land ‘to Erect a more Commodious Chapel to seat about a 100 and 80 to 200’ [3]

The new chapel, on the site shown, was opened in 1852, and cost £200. [4] No account of the opening of either chapel has been found in the PM Magazine.

The Hathern village website has an article which contains “the only complete picture of the chapel” and also an aerial photograph which shows the chapel. here

Following Union, the newer Wesleyan chapel in the village became the village hall, and Tanners Lane became Hathern Methodist. The membership during the 1950s and 1960s fell slightly from 24 to 19, but when announcing the closure in October 1971 the Superintendent referred to three active members. [5]

Sources

1 TNA, HO 129/415/37

2 ROLLR, QS 95/2/1/72

3 TNA, HO 129/415/37

4  Loughborough Methodist Circuit. Notes respecting chapels, schools and other trust properties … presented to the Quarterly Meeting held on Saturday, 16^th June, 1934

5. Loughborough Circuit Plan August-October 1971