Bedworth Heath Primitive Methodist chapel (ii)

A Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1833 on Goodyers End Lane (opposite the entrance to Topps Drive) in Bedworth Little Heath – you can read about it here.

The first chapel is no longer labelled as a chapel after the 1888 map, although the building with an unchanged footprint is still there, unlabelled, on the 1936 map. By that date there is a new housing development to the east of Topps Drive with a new Methodist Church labelled at the northern end of Topps Drive, at the junction with Topps Heath.

Street View shows modern bungalow on the site in 2009..

Jeff Day, who is carefully restoring the first chapel, reports  local knowledge suggesting that the chapel on Topps Drive, was a former World War 1 army camp hut from Cannock Chase. Certainly another ex army hut was opened as a Prim chapel in Coventry on Heath Road as an outreach of the Ford Street Primitive Methodist chapel.

Jeff tracked down the picture of the chapel interior, reproduced here with the permission of  Lorna Hardiman.  Lorna was given the copy by Janice Wagstaff, her second cousin. Janice’s Dad was the superintendent of the chapel along with Charlie Lees and Dorothy Fairbrother.  Lorna remembered that at Christmas there would be a large log on a trestle, decorated with fir twigs and cones and red candles, a gift from the prisoners of war at the camp at Arbury.

Lorna has also passed on through Jeff the picture of the 1959 Sunday School Anniversary, together with some memories.