Mapping Methodism – Porthkea Wesleyan Chapel

Porth Kea is a hamlet southeast of Kea in Cornwall. This profile of Porthkea Wesleyan Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and by Tony Mansell.

 

Porthkea Wesleyan Chapel (Photo: Jo Lewis)

From Calenick, drop south to Porth Kea. Turning north towards Trevaster, The Wesleyan Chapel sits in a fork in the road.

Wayside chapel. Killas rubble with granite dressings. Good example with steep moulded pediment and Gothic style window openings with intersecting glazing bars to the windows and good forecourt walls with railings. Chapel house (manse or caretaker’s cottage) plus Sunday school extension of 1877. Listed in Stell (b1). (Heritage Gateway)

KEA PORTE KEA Porth Kea Methodist Church, yard, yard wall and railings to south
II Methodist chapel with schoolroom and manse and including yard wall to entrance front. 1869 and extended 1877. Shale rubble walls with granite quoins, copings, sills, jambstones, arch stones and pediment cornice. Bitumen-covered dry Delabole slate roofs with gable ends and brick gable chimneys. Rectangular aisles plan chapel with entrance on the liturgical west end and single cell manse/cottage on the liturgical east end with front facing south east, with sanctuary behind, and, extended 1877 with schoolroom ‘east’ of sanctuary and lean-to ‘east’ of manse. Ground is at lower level to liturgical ‘north’ side. Single storey except for cottage which is two storeys but under same eaves line as chapel, basement under rear (north west). Regular 2:1:1:1 window southeast garden front of two-window side wall of chapel, left, adjoining one-window cottage front, one-window lean-to at right, and set back to far right, the porch and one-window front of the schoolroom. Cottage has shallow rubble arches. Doorway, left with ledged door and overlight and original ground and first floor sixteen-pane sashes, right of middle. Lean-to, schoolroom porch doorway, and schoolroom window are pointed brick arches. South west two-window entrance front has C20 gable-ended porch to middle, obscuring original central doorway, moulded pediment to gable and AD 1869 in relief lettering within recessed trefoil. Windows flanking entrance, and those to sides of chapel, are original with intersecting glazing to tympana within pointed-arched heads.  Interior is very simple with moulded plaster ceiling cornice and large moulded and carved central rose with acanthus border. Fittings of numbered pews and shaped rostrum are pitched pine. Sanctuary chapel adjoining schoolroom has Gothic style panels to rostrum with turned columns and moulded cornice. Schoolroom has original iron grate with marble surround.  Wall monument in black and white marble to Lance Corporal Wilfred Scoble D C L I by C. Trevail. The inscription reads: Once a boy in the Sunday School of this Church who in the Great War of 1914-18, offered himself for King and Country, was wounded in 1916 and on Nov.6th 1917, in France gave his life for the cause of Freedom, Aged 19. Listing NGR: SW8297042049 (Historic England)

There was a Wesleyan Methodist society at Porth Kea by 1800, when they registered a meeting house, believed to have been at Trethowell, as a place of worship. (SWChurches)

1816 They occupied new premises on land adjoining Ferdinando Bohennah’s house (location lost) in Porth Kea. (SWChurches)

1869 Chapel replaced by a new building on a different site. (SWChurches / Heritage Gateway)

Seating for 140. (David Easton)

“PORTH KEA. The Opening of the Wesleyan Chapel. The opening services of the Porth Kea Wesleyan Methodist Chapel were continued on Sunday, when three appropriate discourses were delivered to crowded congregations; those in the morning and afternoon by Capt. Josiah Thomas, of Camborne, and in the evening by the Rev. E. Shelton, superintendent minister of the circuit. The choir of the Wesleyan chapel, Devoran, again kindly rendered efficient service… A debt remains of about £150, towards which subscriptions will be thankfully received.” (Royal Cornwall Gazette – Saturday 06 November 1869)

1877: Schoolroom added. (SWChurches)

1899: “Porth Kea Chapel The trustees appointed in the year 1869 having been reduced by death, removal, or resignation, it was resolved to constitute a new trust for the administration of the Wesleyan Methodist property. Taking advantage of legislation commonly known as Fowler’s Act, a new trust has been constituted. Messrs. W. Huddy and W. H. Bragg, who were members of the original trust, continue to act. With them the following gentlemen are now associated: Messrs. Richard Magor (trustees’ treasurer and steward) S. J. Old. Richard Burnett, F. Gunn, R. H, Bawden, Wm. Hearle, jun., J. P. Hearle, T. Jose, all of Kea; W. Bryant, F. T. Dowsing, S. J. Ingram, T. Jennings, J. Doidge, C. Bryant, all of Truro. The year’s accounts showing a balance in favour of the trust, it has been resolved to devote £10 to the liquidation of the debt still remaining on the premises, and the sum of £3 was voted towards the cleaning and decoration of the schoolroom. Arrangements have been made for holding the chapel anniversary services on Sunday, May 14th, to be conducted by the Rev. T. L. Climer, of Probus. A new harmonium, of excellent quality and tone has been recently introduced, and the cordial thanks of the trustees have been presented to Mr. Thomas Jose, the harmoniumist, for his efficient services. The trustees also thanked the friends who, without cost to the trust, had provided the new harmonium. Mr. William Hearle was requested to convey the same. In aid of the Twentieth Century Fund a meeting has recently been held, under the presidency of the Rev. Geo. Lester. Nine guineas, in addition to the amount already promised, were offered, making a total thus far for Perth Kea of 26 guineas.” (Royal Cornwall Gazette – Thursday 20 April 1899)

1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.

1932: The society became Porth Kea Methodist Church.

1953: Electricity installed. (SWChurches)

1899-1960: Trust minutes, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1447)

1910-1946: Minutes, Band of Hope, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. Lists of persons going on annual trips removed and filed under reference MRT/1458. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1457)

1962: New organ. (SWChurches)

Part of Truro Methodist Circuit.

1969: Centenary booklet, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. Booklet celebrating centenary of society, with brief history, photographs, key events and a hymn tune ‘Porth Kea’ written by W H Burnett of Porth Kea and dedicated to Mr Rees Davies [organist and choir master at St Mary’s Methodist Church, Truro], for the hymn ‘Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus’. Also supplement to brochure, with memories of Porth Kea by Richard Burnett and information on the stewards, Sunday School, the Band of Hope and Guild, trustees, trust deeds and Methodism in Porth Kea. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1474)

1958-1972: Minutes, society and church meetings, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. Society meetings, 1958-1969. From 1970, meeting known as ‘At home’ meeting. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1451)

1961-1977: Trust minutes, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1448)

1961-1981: Minutes and accounts, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. Leaders’ and Church Council. Also summary accounts, 1962-1974. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1450)

1954-1982: Minutes, Methodist Guild, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. (Kresen Kernow MRT/1452)

1991: Quinquennial inspection report, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. Report on structural survey of premises. Kresen Kernow MRT/1475)

1992 Closed. (David Easton)

1991-1993: Accounts, property, Porth Kea Methodist Church, Kea. (Kresen Kernow MRT/924)

Circa 1994 Closed. (SWChurches)

Converted to a dwelling. (David Easton)

Other documents held at Kresen Kernow: https://kresenkernow.org/SOAP/search/RelatedNameCode.keyword/CRO|UK|354/