New Scarborough Primitive Methodist chapel

The Primitive Methodist magazine of 1874 contains an account by J Ayrton of the missioning of New Scarbro in the Wakefield circuit and the subsequent opening of a chapel.

The four corner stones – each complete with a £5 note  – were laid by Masters W Seal, JR Hogg, WB Carr and J Ayrton on September 1st 1873.  The chapel opened on July 5th 1874. Opening preachers included J Ayrton, Rev J Young (New Connexion) and JR Wolstenhome. The cost was £560 of which they had raised around £200.

It took a while to track down both New Scarborough and then the chapel.  On the 1893 Ordnance Survey map, New Scarborough is located around 5 miles north west of Wakefield, just to the west of Tingley.  In fact, Street View shows the New Scarborough Inn on Dewsbury Road.  There is only one chapel in the locality – a little north, on Bradford Road.  None of the Ordnance Survey maps identify it as a Primitive Methodist chapel, but the 1938 map, 6 years after the different branches of Methodism united,  does confirm that it was Methodist.

Street View in 2020 shows the former chapel in use by South Leeds and Morley Scouts District Headquarters.

Reference

Primitive Methodist magazine of 1874 page 682