Praze an Beeble, sometimes shortened to Praze, is a village between the nearby towns of Camborne (2.5 miles) and Helston (7 miles) in the civil parish of Crowan. This profile of Praze-an-Beeble Wesleyan Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.
Coming into Praze from the north on the B3303, the Wesleyan chapel is on the left at the junction with Chapel Row. The Sunday school is next door.
An 1828 Wesleyan Methodist chapel plus a later c1876 schoolroom at the rear have been converted into flats in the late 1990s / early 2000s. (Cornwall Heritage Gateway)
Praze-an-Beeble Central Methodist Chapel (Photo: Paul Phillips)
Praze-an-Beeble Central Methodist Chapel (Photo: Paul Phillips)
(Photo: courtesy David Philp)
Circa 1828: Build date “Nonconformist chapel – a Wesleyan Methodist chapel built around 1828”. (https://www.staubynarms.co.uk/praze-an-beeble/)
“The Chapel, more than half way along the street, was built by 1828, and can only have been undertaken under the auspices of the St Aubyn estate for both estate workers and miners.”
Sources state a build date of 1828 or earlier but there are records only from 1864.
Built as a Wesleyan chapel. (SWChurches)
1884: “A NEW WESLEYAN SCHOOLROOM AT CROW AN PRAZE. For many years the society of the Praze Wesleyan chapel have seen the necessity of erecting a new schoolroom for the accommodation their Sunday-school, but the way always seemed blocked, and no effort was made. The school, which numbers about 270, including officers and teachers, has been held in the chapel, notwithstanding numerous complaints from pewholders and others. The scheme for the erection of the new room was entered into about nine months ago, in the fall of 1883… Soon after this a building committee was formed to invite tenders for the execution of the school. The plans were given by Mr. W. Carah, builder, Praze. The work being duly tendered for the estimate of Messrs. Carah and Edwards was accepted, their tender being £210, exclusive of the seating (which will not be ordered for a little while, until we have more money in hand). This seating will cost, probably, from £40 to £50. So that at least £250 will be required to complete the building. A committee was also appointed wait on the trustees, who readily consented to give £40 towards the scheme. …” (Cornishman – Thursday 07 August 1884)
(Photo: Paul Phillips)
1899: Chapel re-opened following renovation. (Cornubian and Redruth Times – Friday 15 September 1899)
(Photo: Barry West)
1908: “PRAZE. There is not much as penny debt on whole Wesleyan Chape! at Praze, says the “Western Daily Mercury.” All the more credit, for this satisfactory state of things is due to the congregation of four hundred, because they have not among them any large contributors, the cause being solely dependent for support on the self-sacrifice of the many. Yet withal the Praze Wesleyans have been a remarkably progressive body proportion to their means. They inherited a debt of £290 but extinguished it several years ago. A schoolroom was built at a cost of £260 and paid for within a year. An orchestra entailed an outlay of £120, which was met at the time. No less than £460 was spent on the general restoration of the chapel, and in a comparatively few years that liability has been entirely removed. Towards the organ, opened as recently as August last, Mr. Carnegie gave £125, and to secure this donation the Wesleyans themselves found the balance of the expenditure forthwith. Now a sum of £60 is being raised for heating apparatus, and probably the time is not far distant when new windows will be placed in the chapel. Praze affords a striking example of a little working class community maintaining its own religion.” (Cornishman – Thursday 02 January 1908)
This building was a Sunday School where Esther Rowe nee Trewhella attended In the 1930s. Her father T B Trewhella, known as Ben, a local butcher from Praze, was a baritone in the choir and a solist.(Photo: Barry West)
T B Trewhella( (Photo: courtesy Esther Esther Rowe nee Trewhella)
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
1932: Became Praze Central Methodist Church. (SWChurches)
1938: “PRAZE CHAPEL REOPENED COMPLETE RE-DECORATION SCHEME. After a six weeks period of re-decoration and renovation, Praze Central Methodist chapel was re-opened on Thursday… The repairs scheme has included complete interior and exterior re-decoration and renovation. All necessary work has been done to the chapel roof and floors, exterior brickwork has been re-pointed and painted, the interior has been repainted, seating revarnished, side panelling placed right round the chapel a height of three feet, and new screens have been provided for the organ. By special gifts from friends, subscribed privately, a new communion table is shortly to installed, but the cost of this has not yet been made public. The last renovations scheme be carried out in this chapel was fourteen years ago, when the building was re-decorated inside only…” (Cornishman – Thursday 28 April 1938)
1940: Seating for 318. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
1946: Chapel reported as flourishing.
(Photo: courtesy David Philp)
(Photo: courtesy David Philp)
20 Jan 1961: Account, installation of main drainage, Central Methodist Church, Praze, Crowan. Account from E J and J D Hosken, Praze. Works carried out in 1960. (Kresen Kernow MRCB/1365)
Aug 1964: Specification, renovations to Chapel premises, Central Methodist Church, Praze, Crowan. Includes other correspondence and papers relating to renovations of Chapel premises. (Kresen Kernow MRCB/1366)
7 Oct 1967: Account, re-wiring Sunday School, Central Methodist Church, Praze, Crowan. Account from G H Barrett of Redruth. (Kresen Kernow MRCB/1369)
Oct 1967: Account, renovations, Central Methodist Church, Praze, Crowan. Account from E J and J D Hosken of Praze for renovations in 1964-1967. (Kresen Kernow MRCB/1368)
Dec 1967: Account, Chapel heating system, Central Methodist Church, Praze, Crowan. Account from W H Argall of Truro for work on Chapel heating system in November-December 1967. (Kresen Kernow MRCB/1370)
1963-1998: Accounts, repairs and renovations, Central Methodist Church, Praze, Crowan. Items retained from former treasurer’s file after weeding. (Kresen Kernow MRCR/85)
1999: Closed. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
Converted to dwellings.