Botallack is a village in west Cornwall. It lies along the B3306 road which connects St Ives in the east to the A30 road, near Land’s End. This profile of Botallack Wesleyan Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.
A Methodist chapel, probably Wesleyan and probably mid C19 is now converted to a house. It is a small vernacular example built of granite rubble with granite dressings. Large later tripartite entrance porch at the front gable end: central coped gabled bay with round-arched doorway and flanking hip-roofed bays each with a 4-pane sash window to the front. High rubble perimeter wall, now partly removed for parking. It is situated quite near Botallack Manor, the former home of Stephen Ustick who was a leading opponent of Methodism. (Heritage Gateway)
1831/1844 chapel
1831: Land leased to Reverend Samuel Timms, Wesleyan superintendent minister and trustees for the chapel and adjoining land.
1844: Build date. (West Penwith Resources) SWChurches state 1831.
Built as a Wesleyan chapel. (SWChurches)
Seating for 160. (West Penwith Resources)
26 Apr 1845: Assignment of lease, Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Parties: 1) John Nankervis, St Just in Penwith. 2) William Eddy, Richard Eddy, John Eddy, Steven H James junior, Joseph Reed James, William Thomas, John Hicks, Thomas Nankervis, John Cock, Richard Roberts, Michael Nicholas, William Harvey and Thomas Ellis, chapel trustees. 3) Reverend Samuel Timms, Wesleyan superintendent minister. Chapel and adjoining land, Botallack tenement. Recites lease to party 1), dated 24 October 1831. Term: 99 years. Consideration: £2. Endorsed with enrolment in Chancery. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/78)
1851: E. I. Sturges was the minister. (West Penwith Resources)
1860: The build date according to some sources. Was this a mistake or was there a replacement chapel built.
1873: Survey reports 120 seats. (West Penwith Resources)
1893-1894: Correspondence, purchase of freehold, Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Correspondence between Wesleyan Chapel Committee, Lord Falmouth’s agent and others relating to purchase of freehold of chapel. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/80)
10 Feb 1894: Lease, Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Parties: 1) Right honourable Evelyn E T, Viscount Falmouth. 2) Reverend George Boggis, superintendent minister, William H Eddy, John H Eddy and James Eddy, miners; James Casley, John Oates and Thomas Mitchell, farmers; Alfred Chenhalls and William Chenhalls, gentlemen; Ralph Roberts, carpenter; Ralph Chirgwin, grocer and Henry Thomas, draper, all of St Just in Penwith, trustees of Wesleyan Methodist Connexion. Botallack Wesleyan Chapel. Term: 50 years. Rent: 5 shillings. Includes plan. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/81)
1905: Correspondence, lease of plot for Sunday School, Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Correspondence from Lord Falmouth’s agents. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/84 & 85)
Early 1900s: Addition of front porch.
Early 1900s: Sunday school was likely built at this time.
1906-1907: Application for erection of vestries, Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Application by Wesleyan Chapel Committee for permission to erect two vestries onto chapel. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/86)
5 Sep 1906: Sanction to erect vestries, Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Permission from Wesleyan Chapel Committee, Manchester, to erect two new vestries. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/87)
1906-1907: Accounts, renovation of Botallack Wesleyan Chapel, St Just in Penwith. Record of receipts and expenditure. (Kresen Kernow MRSJ/88)
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
1932: Became Botallack Methodist Church. (SWChurches)
1940: Seating for 150. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)
1965: Closure date. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian / SWChurches)
1971: Premises sold. (SWChurches)
1972: Application for the conversion of Methodist chapel to dwelling, erection of car port and formation of 10.7 metre vehicular access approved.
Converted to dwelling. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)