Mapping Methodism – Wheal Busy Bible Christian Chapel
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Wheal Busy is a village between Redruth and Truro in the Gwennap mining area of Cornwall. During the 18th century the mine there produced enormous amounts of copper ore and was very wealthy, but from the later 19th century onwards was not profitable. This profile of Wheal Busy Bible Christian Chapel has been compiled by Tony Mansell.
Circa 1840: In his early teens, John Passmore Edwards became a Sunday School teacher and with a school friend, John Symons, started a little evening and Sunday school for the men and boys of the village who could not read and write and could not afford the 2d a week for the Dame School. This was held at the Bible Christian Chapel at Wheal Busy and was quite successful, continuing for many years after Edwards left the area. Edwards said that amongst his greatest possessions were a few letters he had received in after years from men who had learned to write at that little school. (Dean Evans in an article about John Passmore Edwards for Cornish Story)
Considering the above statement it seems likely that there was a Bible Christian chapel at Wheal Busy before the 1863 building.
1863 Chapel
1863: Build date (datestone)
1863: “Assumed build date. Bible Christian chapel with porch and gallery added slightly later. Small wayside chapel with colour-washed walls, scantle slate roof, original sash windows and door with fanlight over, good forecourt walls, gate and railings. Very fine and complete interior with end gallery, box pews, choir pews and balustraded detail.” (Cornwall Council maps)
1878: Copy tenancy agreement, Wheal Busy Bible Christian Chapel, Kenwyn. Parties: 1) Viscount Falmouth 2) Chapel trustees. Bible Christian meeting house at Wheal Busy. Rent: 5 shillings.(Kresen Kernow MRR/1418)
1882: End gallery added.
1888: Copy lease, Providence or Wheal Busy Bible Christian Chapel, Kenwyn. Parties: 1) Viscount Falmouth 2) Chapel trustees. Rent: £1. (Kresen Kernow MRR/1419)
1905: Laying foundation/memorial stones of Wheal Busy Bible Christian Sunday School. (Cornubian and Redruth Times – Saturday 28 January 1905)
1907: The Methodist New Connexion, Bible Christians and United Methodist Free Churches amalgamated to become the United Methodist Church.
Fiftieth anniversary in 1913 (Photo: courtesy Ros Hayward Federation of Old Cornwall Societies Website Manager)
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
1932: Re-named Wheal Busy Methodist Church.
1939: Mrs. Cecilia Teague recalling her memories of when she was a child. “I recall father taking me to Scorrier station to see the arrival of the first train. There was no station at Redruth, and the track was not completed. I heard Billy Bray preach at Wheal Busy Chapel when he appealed to snuff-takers to give up this filthy habit.” (West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser – Thursday 9 November 1939)
1957: Letter, non-existence of trust, Wheal Busy Methodist Church, Kenwyn.
Letter from Department for Chapel Affairs, Manchester, concerning non-existence of trust, ‘You seem to be having an interesting time in Redruth Circuit. Knowing a little of that area, I’m not altogether surprised.’ (Kresen Kernow MRR/1420)
Wheal Busy Bible Christian Chapel Organ (Photo: courtesy David Philp)
The 1863 chapel
1972: The chapel closed as a Methodist society but continued as an independent Church / Interdenominational Chapel church. (http://churches-uk-ireland.org/cornwall.html / David Easton)
1972 – 11th July: Application for closure, Wheal Busy Methodist Church, Kenwyn. (Kresen Kernow MRR/1994)
1972 – 13th July: Consent for closure and sale, Wheal Busy Methodist Church, Kenwyn.
From the Methodist Church Home Mission Department. (Kresen Kernow MRR/1995)
(Source West Briton 24th September 1972 / David Philp)
1975 – 22nd March: Wheal Busy Chapel – Re-opening Celebrations. Doors opened by Mrs Morcom of (Wheal Busy) to be followed by Re-dedication Service conducted by Mr Peeke (Ponsanooth)”
The following six photographs were provided by Barry West
“Wheal Busy Chapel, Attached Walls, Gate-Piers and Railings Bible Christian chapel. MATERIALS: killas rubble with granite dressings; grouted scantle slate roofs with pierced and crested red clay ridge tiles and end finials; cast-iron ogee gutters and downpipes.
PLAN: small rectangular aisle-less plan plus later C19 porch in front of original doorway; gallery to ritual west end.
EXTERIOR: single storey; symmetrical 2-window front. Segmental brick arches over original 6/9-pane hornless sashes at both front and rear. Gable-ended porch has open braced truss as barge board over granite name and date panel with relief inscription. Basket-arched doorway has leaded overlight and pair of panelled doors, flanking leaded sidelights and side buttresses.
INTERIOR: unaltered interior with plaster ceiling cornice and roses; panelled dado and panelled gallery front carried on brackets and the gallery supported on slender columns; L-plan staircases with stick balusters and turned newel posts. The original round-arched doorway has a spoked fanlight over pair of panelled doors.
FITTINGS: there are box pews in both the gallery and in the central area below, plus space for loose fittings at either side. There are also box choir and leaders’ pews ramped up on either side of the communion area and rostrum. The pews and other fittings are panelled, the lower pews have open balustraded friezes at the front and sides including the doors. The communion area has similar detail to its front and to a communion rail in front of the rostrum. There is a loose leaders’ bench in front of this. The rostrum has a projecting panelled centrepiece with arched panels and a moulded cornice. There is a tall turned balustrade on either side with rounded corner to the right and a straight-flight staircase to the left. The handrail is surmounted by 2 turned lamp standards.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: on either side of a garden court at the front of the chapel is a slurried rubble wall with gabled coping. At the front of the courtyard are low granite coped walls surmounted by ornate cast-iron railings. The central gateway has square granite piers and a fine cast-iron gate, and there is a cobbled path which leads to the front door of the chapel. This is arguably the best surviving complete example of the simple type of wayside chapel in Cornwall and one of only 6 examples of its type to retain all the original fittings. The unusual and beautiful fittings are quite remarkable.”
(Historic England – Listed Building Grade II* / List Entry Number:1386521 / Date first listed:14-Apr-1999)
The Old Sunday School (Photo: Mansell Thomas)
My Grandparents , Garrie and Pauline Teague were responsible for the reopening of Wheal Busy Chapel in the mid seventies. They held the tenancy from tregothan estate. My Grandmother is in the 1913 photograph sitting on her mother’s lap. The photo I think was taken by govier.