Mapping Methodism – Four Lanes Loscombe Methodist Chapel

Four Lanes Four Lanes is a village in west Cornwall approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Redruth. This profile of Four Lanes Loscombe Methodist Chapel was compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell

 

“In the 1930s there appears to have been a rift in the Four Lanes Society, during the ministry of the Revd Frank Edgar Poad, a Devon man, who had been born at Plymouth in 1887 and had entered the ministry in 1911. Poad was very much in favour of following the policies and procedures of the governing Methodist Conference, with some supporters within the Four Lanes Society, but others were not of the same opinion. Matters came to a head when a number of members who were Poad supporters left the chapel and built their own small wooden chapel at Loscombe and worshipped there instead, having the nickname of Poadites. The remaining Methodists in the village continued to worship in the large 1856 building.

The breakaway Methodist Chapel in Loscombe Road was a wooden structure, sometimes known as the hut. Its history is quite obscure as there is almost a complete lack of archival evidence, Kresen Kernow at Redruth only having two documents which mention it. Our second picture is a photograph which I acquired a copy of some years ago showing the little building with its porch and very distinctive wooden gates and slated roof. The little chapel was certainly in use by 23 July 1933 as the archives contain a service sheet for a Young People’s Day held there on that day. There is also a Sunday School Anniversary hymn sheet for 17 and 18 May in an updated year but is probably the year 1942, printed by the printer Andrew of Redruth. It would be nice to know more, ie when the chapel first opened and when did it close? Any information would be welcome. Also, who were the local families who attended and supported it? We have no archived Trust minutes or accounts or other paperwork in a public archive to assist us in this quest but a lot more could probably be found out from detailed searches in the back files of the West Briton newspaper. One final thing. Can anyone tell me the exact physical site of the Loscombe Chapel, in relation to what is identifiable today as the building was put up after the 1906 edition of the Ordnance Survey maps? It would be good to identify the precise site. Can anyone help?” (David Thomas of Kresen Kernow)

There was a small Methodist church and Sunday school in Four Lanes, Loscombe Methodist Church. Loscombe House sits on Loscombe Road which is also known as Duck Lane but the precise site of this church is lost.

The wooden shed either built or taken over by the “Poadites” (Photo: courtesy David Thomas)

Circa 1933: Breakaway society formed which moved to a wooden shed in Loscombe Road, Four Lanes.

23 Jul 1933: Hymn sheet, Young People’s Day, Loscombe Methodist Church, Four Lanes, Illogan. Series C; printed by the Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School Department, Ludgate Circus House, E C 4. (Kresen Kernow AD2029/46)

Probably 1942: Loscombe Methodist Church, Four Lanes: Sunday School Anniversary: Sunday May 17th, Monday May 18th, Sunday July 5th: [hymns for services]. (Kresen Kernow 780.583 PF)

1946: Funeral In Four Lanes. “… Loscombe Road Methodist Church, in his passing, has lost one of its leading members – he had been actively connected with it from the time of its opening about 13 years ago – he being a steward and a trustee…” (Cornishman – Thursday 21 February 1946)

Cornishman Newspaper reports of preachers at Loscombe Methodist Church: Thursday 08 September 1949, Thursday 17 November 1949, Thursday 05 January 1950, Thursday 12 January 1950.

The closure date is unknown but clearly later than January 1950.