Ventonleague is an area of Hayle, a port town at the mouth of the Hayle River, approximately seven miles (11 km) northeast of Penzance. This profile of Ventonleague United Methodist Free Church has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.
Earlier Chapel
The later chapel is said to have “Replaced an earlier chapel or room of an unknown date”. Probably in Caroline Row.
Cornwall Heritage Gateway refer to the date of 1816 AD but there is no further comment.
1876 Chapel
21 Ventonleague Hill, at the top of Ventonleague Row.
Methodist Free Church chapel, 1875 (C. Noall, The Book of Hayle, 1984, 34) inscribed Methodist Free Church on plaque in gable. Rendered with slate roof. (Cornwall Heritage Gateway)
Ventonleague Free Methodist Church, a classically styled Methodist chapel with a gallery at its northern end, was opened in 1876. Behind is a vestry extension, and at the rear of the plot a later wooden building brought to the site in 1915 for use as a Sunday School. (Archaeology Data Service)
1872: Members of Mount Pleasant United Methodist Free Church brought together a number of children in Ventonleague village as there was no Sunday school there. They met in a small meeting house in Caroline Row.
Land purchased for a new chapel.
2nd June 1875: Foundation stone laid.
1875 or 1876: Build date. (Checklist of Churches in the Hayle Circuit on the 31st August 1961 / Cornwall Heritage Gateway)
27th Februay 1876: Chapel opened.
1877: “HAYLE. United Methodist Free Church, Ventonleague. — A chapel was opened here for divine worship about a year and eight months since, when opening services were conducted by the Rev. W. Trevail, of Bristol. The opening of the chapel was a great success. … A four days’ bazaar … towards the fund for the erection of a new school, the building of which has already been commenced.” (Royal Cornwall Gazette – Friday 16 November 1877)
1880: Sunday school started in a wooden building brought from Loggans, Hayle.
1903: Chapel enlarged.
Octber 1903: Chapel re-opened.
1907: Building modified.
1911: “… in doubtful weather the teachers and scholars of the Ventonleague Band of Hope held their annual festival on Saturday. Headed by the Town Band, under Bandmaster Trebilcock they marched from the school to Commercial Road, Copperhouse, back to Poumaro Park…” (24 August 1911 – The Cornish Telegraph)
1926: Ventonleague Male Choir formed.
1934: Organ from Cury Methodist Church installed.
1939:“Ventonleague Methodist Sunday-school held their tea-treat in a field lent by Mr. G. Ingrain, on Saturday. Gweek Silver Band was in attendance.” (29 June 1939 – Cornishman)
1952: Electric lighting installed.
1976: Correspondence, centenary celebrations, Ventonleague Methodist Church, Phillack. (Kresen Kernow MRIHY/290)
1 Dec 2002-13 May 2003: Invoices and correspondence, organ renovations, Ventonleague Methodist Church, Phillack, Hayle. Between Lance Foy, organ builder, Quartane, Porth Kea, Truro and Mrs Edna Hampton, 2 Copper Hill, Hayle. (Kresen Kernow MRCR/533)
Ventonleague UMFC (Photo: courtesy Dan Ratcliffe, www.statement-heritage.com)
Ventonleague UMFC (Photo: courtesy Dan Ratcliffe, www.statement-heritage.com)
Ventonleague UMFC (Photo: courtesy Dan Ratcliffe, www.statement-heritage.com)
(Photo: courtesy David Philp)
2017: Closed.
There are multiple documents in local archives.
Planning applications for conversion to residential of the chapel itself and the associated buildings