Mapping Methodism – Berepper (Beripper) Gunwalloe Wesleyan Chapel

Berepper is a coastal village in south Cornwall on the west side of the Lizard peninsula, four miles south of Helston, near Gunwalloe. This profile of Berepper UMFC has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.

 

Methodist Chapel (Wesleyan) is recorded at this location on both the 1st and 2nd Edition 1:2500 OS maps c1880 and c1907. The porch seems to have been added between c1880 and c1907. The building is rendered, the windows, doors and rain goods are plastic. The roof appears to be asbestos slate. The building is used as Gunwalloe Village Hall. (Heritage Gateway)

 

Pre-1880: Build date.

Seating for 40 persons.

1880-circa 1907: Porch added. (Heritage Gateway)

1894: Harvest Thanksgiving Services were held Gunwalloe’s Wesleyan chapel on Sunday, the preacher being the Rev. F. H. Thomas, of Helston. The chapel was well filled both morning and evening. The decorations were simply magnificent … Never in the history of Gunwalloe has the Wesleyan chapel been set-off to such an advantage. (Cornishman – Thursday 25 October 1894)

1920: Methodist Unity At Gunwalloe. Dedication Of Union Chapel. Union Chapel, which was dedicated at Gunwalloe on Wednesday, marks an important step in the history of Nonconformity in the locality. Formerly there were two Nonconformist places of worship in the parish, but the shortage of ministers, necessitated, as war measure, the holding of combined services conducted alternately by the preacher of the respective denominations This war measure having been attended with such satisfactory results, it was decided to continue it, and in order to accommodate the combined congregation the Wesleyan Chapel has been utilised as a school, and the Methodist Free Church has been enlarged, a pipe organ installed, and the building renamed Union Chapel. At the dedication gathering on Wednesday the event was referred to as the first fruits of Methodist Union, and as furnishing an object lesson to village Methodism. The proceedings were taken part by the ministers of the and United Methodist Churches and others. Mr. J. Thomas, who presided luncheon, said that they were forming a basis whereupon to build a greater union. One of the chief obstacles the evangelisation of England and the world was disunion among them. There was nothing divide them; they could pool their resources, and it would be a cure for overlapping in 1,200 villages England. The step taken at Gunwalloe was an example for the district and a lead to the country. In the afternoon sermon was preached to a large congregation by the Rev. E. E. Bennett, of Truro, and public meeting was held in the evening. (Cornishman – Wednesday 24 November 1920)

Seating for 90. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)

1930S: Closure date. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)

1974: Sunday school for sale. (West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser – Thursday 18 April 1974)

1974: Papers, sale of Sunday School, Gunwalloe Methodist Church. (Kresen Kernow MRH/420)

1975: Closure date. (SWChurches) This would appear to relate to the Sunday school.

Became the village hall. (David Easton, Methodist Minister and historian)