Gweek is a village approximately three miles (5 km) east of Helston. This profile of Gweek Wesleyan Chapel was compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.
First Chapel
Coming into Gweek on Chapel Hill the Wesleyan chapel was on the left before the centre of the village.
Unknown build date.
1884: Gweek Chapel mentioned. (Cornubian and Redruth Times – Friday 04 January 1884)
Circa 1887: Demolished.
1887 Chapel
Gweek Wesleyan Chapel (Photo: Paul Phillips 2021)
A Wesleyan Methodist chapel built in 1887 on the site of an earlier chapel. A rectangular aisle-less chapel over a basement schoolroom. Gable front with round-headed openings to first floor and square headed openings to basement. Complete interior with fittings including pitch-pine pews, sloping west end gallery, ritual ‘chancel’ arch, rostrum with turned baluster stairs, communion rail. Segmental barrel ceiling with moulded plaster ribs and ornate central rose moulded round. Exterior walls, gate and gate piers and railings all listed. (Cornwall Council Heritage Gateway)
Methodist Chapel including walls, gate-piers and gates at road front. Dated 1887. Stucco. Scantle slate roof with coped gable end at the entrance front. Clay ridge tiles, some with finials. Plan: Rectangular aisle-less chapel over schoolroom basement with choir over vestry projection at the rear. Classical style features. Exterior: 2 storeys (chapel over basement schoolroom). Symmetrical 3 window west gable front with round-headed openings to first floor and 3 square-headed windows to ground floor (basement). Plinth and mid-floor band. Original windows with marginal panes. Larger central window has 2 round-headed lights with foiled tracery. Lower windows have overlights. Name plaque to centre of gable. Side walls have 3 windows to each floor, similar to front windows except that upper windows have segmental heads, 3-light rear (east) window has intersecting glazing. Interior: Complete interior with all of its original features including: segmental barrel ceiling with moulded plaster ribs and ornate central rose moulded round; choir (ritual chancel) arch; canted rostrum with turned baluster stairs; communion rail on ornate cast-iron stanchions; pitch-pine pews with shaped ends (sloping gallery at west end); choir stalls and basement stair with stick balusters. Parallel to the front of the chapel is a low wall with dressed granite copings and ramps to changes of level for slope down to right. Square-on-plan, granite monolithic piers flank a wide gateway on the right and rise above the 3 bays of the low walls. Iron railings and gates with scrolled detail. (Historic England)
Listing NGR: SW7054026847
Coming into Gweek on Chapel Hill the Wesleyan chapel is on the left before the centre of the village.
1887: Laying Foundation Stones. (The Cornish Telegraph – Thursday 21 July 1887 / Royal Cornwall Gazette – Friday 22 July 1887)
1887: Build date: (Cornwall Council Heritage Gateway / Plaque)
(Photo: Paul Phillips)
Built as a Wesleyan Chapel. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
1883: The Gweek Rifle Band, under the leadership of Mr Emmanuel Harris, played at the Gweek Wesley and Band of Hope tea in 1883. Perhaps the weather was unfavourable as it seems to have been a largely indoor event as it was reported that “members and friends partook tea in the chapel”. (Cornishman 14th June 1883)
10 Dec 1889: Copy of conveyance, Gweek Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/39)
Circa1900: Photograph, Gweek Wesleyan Chapel, Wendron. (Kresen Kernow AD346/67)
1902: Gweek Sunday School Tea Treat
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
1932: Became Gweek Methodist Church.
1940: Seating for 190. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
Apr 1955: Plan, Gweek Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/40)
1956-1970: Minutes, Methodist Guild, Gweek Methodist Church, Constantine. (Kresen Kernow MRH/130)
1963-1977: Minutes, Leader’s meetings, Gweek Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/33)
1909-1977: Trust minutes, Gweek Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/45)
1887-1987: Papers, Centenary of Gweek Methodist Church. With press cutting and photograph. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/38)
17th June 1988: Grade 2 listed. (Historic England)
(Photo: Barry West)
1990: Quinquennial inspection report, Gweek Methodist Church, Constantine. Report on structural survey of premises. Includes plans and photographs. (Kresen Kernow MRH/487)
1991: Agenda and Methodist notes, Gweek Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/169)
1977-1991: Minutes, property account, Gweek Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/37)
1991: Closure. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
1991: Papers, closure of Gweek Methodist Church. Correspondence and enquiry sheet. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/43)
1983-1992: Papers, insurance, closure and sale of church, Gweek Methodist Church, Constantine. Includes certificate of registration for religious worship, 1922. (Kresen Kernow MRH/488)
Sold and converted to a dwelling in the 1990s.
Converted to dwelling. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
Sundry other material held at Kresen Kernow: https://kresenkernow.org/SOAP/search/RelatedNameCode.keyword/CRO%7CUK%7C1156/