1 October 2024

Mapping Methodism – Redruth Bible Christian Chapel

Map: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=10.4&lat=52.44811&lon=-3.07812&layers=6&right=ESRIWorld

This profile of Redruth Bible Christian Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell.

(Photo: Jo Lewis)

Located on Treruffe Hill. Turning from Falmouth Road onto Treruffe Hill, the chapel is on the left, (Chapel Court) and is clearly seen on early maps.

Heritage Gateway: Bible Christian chapel with integral basement Sunday school and attached manse. The building bears a date 1863. Thomas Merritt the Illogan carol composer was harmoniumist here for several years prior to 1889 (1).
The chapel, after a period in commercial use has been converted into apartments (2005) and the manse sold off as a private dwelling. Local rubble with granite dressings; scantle slate roof to chapel, dry slate roof hipped on the right, plus brick end stacks, to manse. Chapel is built to a simple Italianate style and has a pedimented front end with round inscribed panel. 3-window front with tripartite window flanked by single light windows, some old coloured leaded glazing. First floor windows and pair of central doorways have round-arched heads, the ground-floor windows have segmental-arched heads. Side elevations have some original sash windows. Manse has symmetrical 3-window front and until recently had late C19 4-pane horned sashes. An interesting and rare chapel/manse group.https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCO33140&resourceID=1020

William Turner had been briefly a Bible Christian itinerant in 1823, but soon resigned, married a former Bible Christian female itinerant and moved to Redruth. Here he gathered a society of his own – whether of other dissident Bible Christians or from elsewhere is unclear. It was not until much later that they were able to establish a cause in the town.

Build date: 1863 (1866 other sources – SW Churches) with a school room underneath. (See next note)

23^rd August 1863: Opened for Divine service. (Royal Cornwall Gazette – Friday 28 August 1863)

Certificate of registration from 1865.

1896: Re-opened following improvements, (Cornubian and Redruth Times – Friday 04 December 1896)

1897: New organ. (Cornishman – Thursday 27 May 1897)

1903: Re-opened following extensive renovation. (Cornubian and Redruth Times – Friday 13 February 1903)

1907: The Methodist New Connexion, Bible Christians and United Methodist Free Churches amalgamated to become the United Methodist Church.

1907: Became Treruffe Hill United Methodist Church.

1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain.

1932: Became Treruffe Hill Methodist Church.

1940: Seating for 440. (Revd David Easton)

1973: United with Fore Street Methodist Church.