Marazion is a town, on the shore of Mount’s Bay. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Penzance and the tidal island of St Michael’s Mount is half-a-mile offshore. This profile of Marazion Wesleyan Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.
1780s Chapel
24th August 1789: “calling at Marazion on my way to Penzance, where I had promised to preach once more, the house was filled in a few minutes, so that I could not refrain from preaching a short sermon: and God was there of a truth. We had a rainy afternoon, so I was obliged to preach in the new preaching house, considerably the largest, and in many respects, far the best in Cornwall.”
1813 Chapel
Built in 1813, a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is recorded on the 1st Edition 1:2500 1880 OS Map at this location. By 1907 following the construction of the new Methodist Church this chapel was converted to use as a Sunday school, as shown on the 2nd Edition 1:2500 OS Map. Still extant and shown on the Mastermap as ‘Chapel Cottage’. (Cornwall Heritage Gateway)
Located behind Fore Street, down a small south street off Fore Street, before Oates Road, on the right.
Non-Conformist. There were chapels for the Wesleyan Methodists, United Methodist Free Church, Bible Christians and Baptists. (Genuki)
azion’s old chapel – built in 1814, was a building; “more rectangular than any barn affording to the eye unmitigated expanses of whitewash”. The idea of a new building, put forward in 1890, owed much to the enthusiasm of the minister – the Revd W L Bennett and the trustees. There were those who opposed any suggestion of change, and suggested that the old building in Back Lane was “good enough for them”. **
1813: Build date. (Cornwall Heritage Gateway)
The first Wesleyan chapel, behind Fore Street, was in existence by 1841. (SWChurches)
1841: Marazion Methodist Circuit formed. **
Circa 1893: Became a Sunday school when the new chapel was built. (SWChurches)
Winter of 1974/75: Considerable storm damage to the building which led to the decision to dispose of it. **
September 1981: Building sold. **
1979-1982: Papers, sale of schoolroom, Fore Street Methodist Church, Marazion. (Kresen Kernow MRMB/64)
Site used for housing.
1893 Chapel
Fairly large Wesleyan chapel. Local stone with granite dressings under a steep slate roof. Good Gothic style example with robust detail to show front. Symmetrical 3-bay front end with weathered and pinnacled multi-stage buttresses flanking the bays. Central bay has paired vents over traceried window incorporating rose window, over pair of doorways within arched panel. Side bays have Y-traceried and cusped windows. Good interior has full gallery and original fittings, some of the panels at the ritual east end possibly re-used from the former original chapel. Good coloured glass to the front windows. (Cornwall Heritage Gateway)
Wesleyan chapel forecourt and steps. 1893. Dressed granite brought to course with granite dressings to the front gable end, rockfaced granite to the sides. Dry Delabole slate roof with brick chimney over the rear gable end. Plan: rectangular aisle-less plan with galleries. Ritual east end at north and entrance hall with flanking stairs at south. Gothic style. Exterior: 2 storey elevations. Symmetrical 3-bay south entrance gable front with wider central bay. Weathered buttresses dividing the bays and clasping the corners. Pinnacles over the buttresses and cruciform finial over the coped gable. Pair of central pointed-arched doorways within round outer arch. Smaller round-headed arches over 2-light windows to the bays on either side. Cogged mid-floor cornice. First floor has similarly disposed openings but under pointed arches. Similar paired lights. The central window has 2 paired pointed lights, with rose window over. Y- traceried wooden windows. Paired pointed arched gable ventilators. Punctuating bands. Interior not inspected. In front of the entrance 2 L-plan flights of granite steps flank a wide landing with square granite coped balustrade at the front. The stairs have square chamfered granite newels with moulded caps and in front of the blind balustrade are 4 memorial niches. Adjoining the road are cruciform headed granite monolithic gate piers and some cast ironwork. Listing NGR: SW5206330660 (Historic England)
A fine example of Cornish craftsmanship designed to be a place of prayer, worship and song. The original fittings in mellow pitch pine are enhanced by a full set of mainly geometric stained glass designs with the four Gospel writers depicted over the main doors. The stained glass throughout is of unusually high standard for a Methodist church. The organ sits very prominently with original painted pipes and indicates the long and central place that music and singing has played in the chapel. The building is reached either by granite steps to the front or ramp from the carpark. There is one step into the rear vestry which is generally kept locked but again with forewarning this can be open and a ramp placed for visitors’ convenience. Leaflets outlining the chapel’s history are available. https://www.explorechurches.org/church/marazion-methodist-church-marazion
Circa 1893: Plan, Marazion Wesleyan Chapel. Plan of ground floor of chapel, showing position of pews, pulpit, communion rail, vestries and stairs to the gallery and choir seats. Scale: quarter of an inch to 1 foot. Also section of dado boarding, full size and section of pews, scale: 2 inches to 1 foot. Plan no.5, signed by R Pascoe. Pen and ink on linen. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/6/2)
c1893: Elevation, Marazion Wesleyan Chapel. Elevation of front of chapel, showing facade. Also plan of front entrance, showing steps, line of iron fence and line of existing wall. Plan no. 1, signed by R Pascoe. Pen and ink on linen with some colour wash. Scale: 4 feet to 1 inch. (Kresen Kernow MRLB/6/1)
Marazion Wesleyan Chapel (Photo: Jo Lewis)
Circa 1893: Build date. (SWChurches)
Circa 1893: New chapel constructed in Fore Street, across the road from the old one, and the original premises were used as a Sunday School.
December 1893: Laying of foundation stones. **
April 1894: Sale and laying of memorial bricks. **
The architect was Mr Pascoe and the contractor Mr Miners. **
“The new Wesleyan chapel at Marazion is 69 ft long and 45 ft wide, with seating accommodation for 550 persons. It occupies an elevated position in the town’s main street. Its Gothic design is rendered in elvan with granite facings. Two flights of granite steps lead up to the main entrance. Its pews are of red deal with pitch pine end; the gallery’s front is also of pitch pine with walnut mouldings. The heating arrangement is such as never seen before, and the lighting is magnificent. The pulpit is superbly carved and the Communion chairs unusual. Provision has been made for an organ.” **
Memorial Windows Depicting Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (Photo: courtesy **)
Gallery and Organ (Photo: courtesy **)
15th February 1895: Chapel opened and dedicated by the President of the Methodist conference, the Revd Walford Green. Special trains brought worshippers from Redruth, Carn Brea, Camborne and Gwinear Road … **
A Press correspondent wrote about the opening: “on a Cornish day, with rain driven in surges from all sides, so all the earth and sea were permeated and saturated with rain, even so the sound of wind and waves were preferable to the doleful silence of the old chapel …” **
1911: Seat rents introduced. **
1914: Additional row of seats added in front of organ. **
1919: Organ rebuilt and cleaned. **
1928: Envelope offertory system adopted. **
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
1932: Became Fore Street Methodist Church.
1965: Became Marazion Methodist Church following the closure of the Ebenezer chapel.
December 1983: Opening service for lean-to extension at rear of chapel housing a kitchen, and toilet facilities. Pews from front and rear of main chapel removed to create more space. **
c1980-1983: File, completed building project, Fore Street Methodist Church, Marazion. Correspondence: also extension plans of church room, 1982 and plans of rear retaining wall, 1983. (Kresen Kernow MRMB/65)
It is great 2 listed.
** Items from Marazion Methodist Church 1895-2020 history for which our thanks go to the members and friends of the chapel.