Redditch Primitive Methodist chapel 1839

In the 1840 Primitive Methodist magazine, Hugh Bourne himself  tells us about the opening of the first Primitive Methodist chapel in Redditch, in the Birmingham circuit.

“Redditch in the Birmingham circuit is a place much noted for needles and the manufacturing of needles and fishing hooks. In and about the  neighbourhood there is a dense population and the inhabitants are chiefly employed in getting up the above articles. Here the P. Methodists have had a small cause for several years; but their progress has been much retarded for want of a Suitable place of worship; their former place being an old house, in a very backward situation; so that comparatively few attended, and the cause continued for years in a low state. There had for some time been frequent talk about a new chapel, and some feeble attempts, had been made to get one. But all passed like the morning Cloud till it almost became proverbial that all ended in talk.

But in Spring 1839, we set about it In good earnest; and after procuring ground in a fine open situation at the side of a hill we commenced building a neat chapel, 36 feet long by 24 feet wide with four rooms taken off at the deep end for a house over which is a gallery  seven pews (… … …) pounds per annum, and the gallery has pewing to the amount of about ninety sittings, most of which are let. The bottom is used for a Sabbath school, and free sittings.

It is so constructed that when requisite, the chambers which are under the gallery, can be laid to the chapel, and the house and parlour become school-rooms. We shall have near three hundred pounds debt upon it. Since it was opened it has been doing well; our congregation society, and Sunday school, have much improved.

The chapel is built on copyhold land and pays a heriot. It is regularly settled on the congregation

It was opened for divine service on the last Sunday in September 1839 and the first Sabbath in October when sermons were preached by Messrs Tillotson, Humphreys, Jukes and Stokes and upwards of thirteen pounds were collected. Since its erection we have had some converted and we have a cheering prospect of many more being converted.”

Where was this chapel and what happened to it.  There was a later chapel opened in 1890 here.

Reference

Primitive Methodist magazine 1840 page 436