John Walley has identified a Primitive Methodist chapel at West Holywell, a long gone mining village east of Backworth. It is shown on the 1861 and 1895 Ordnance Survey maps but by the 1913 edition the building with the same footprint still exists but it is not labelled at all.
However by 1913 that chapel is no longer named on Ordnance Survey maps and there is also another Primitive Methodist chapel a little way to the west, on the other side of the railway in Backworth. Backworth chapel is located between the eastern end of the new terrace of houses on Melrose Avenue and Church Road.
Backworth chapel site i now a mown grass area alongside Church Street.
Location:
- West Holywell grid reference: NZ 30739 72390
- Backworth chapel grid reference NZ 3050 7229
Comments about this page
Thank you for your work in making this site.
My parents lived from 1940 until the end of the clearance in preparation for the demolition. They lived first at 25 Church Street, then 35 Church Street where I was born in 1957.
I cried when I saw the demolished remains of our Chapel.
I loved going to Chapel. I loved reading and earned two books every year. I said my piece every anniversary to a full Chapel.
I have never understood why it was demolished so early. I didn’t take to St John’s.
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