Mapping Methodism – St Marys Isles of Scilly Bible Christian Chapels

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 St Mary’s Bible Christian Chapel has been compiled by Jo Lewis and Tony Mansell

The Bible Christian missionaries arrived in the islands in the 1820s and began preaching from the Bishop and Wolf Inn. These missionaries may have included Mary Ann Wherry one of the early female itinerant preachers of the Bible Christians who was thought to be on the Island s in 1822.

1836 Bible Christian Chapel

Circa 1836: The first Bible Christian Chapel was built on Church Street in Hugh Town.

This can be located on 1906 maps, where it is labelled as Sunday School, and is also described as sitting to the west of the newer chapel by Heritage Gateway.

1854: Augustus Smith (proprietor of Scilly 1834-72) added an infant school extension. The infants’ school was said to be ‘fitted up with a good gallery and an excellent supply of apparatus’ (Parliamentary Papers, 1853-54). Other records state that the old chapel adjoined the St Mary’s Girls’ day school which was the Girls school on Lower Strand (built in 1860 by Augustus Smith), sitting almost directly behind the chapel (which later became the Catholic Chapel).

Known as Church Street Bible Christian Chapel. (SWChurches)

1900: When the new chapel on Church Street was built, the governor of the Islands, agreed to take the old chapel to provide a Sunday school for the new chapel. The new chapel was also planned to have a newly built Sunday school, but this building Is still labelled as such on 1906 maps. There is no documentation of a Sunday school with the listed 1900 chapel.

There are baptism records for this chapel (former Bible Christian Circuit) from 1840 to 1934 when the congregations combined.

No longer a school, the building became the Church Hall, now Parish Hall. The end of the building is now a Church Hall Cottage (link to Estate Agent particulars below) which is a holiday let.

The chapel became a Masonic Lodge and remains as such to this day. The front door has ‘Masonic Hall’ and the square and compasses displayed above it.

Further reading:

Heritage Gateway: Former Bible Christian Chapel, Church Street, built in 1830-40 and a lower wing added at the east end in 1854 for a day-school. The original east entrance is now internal and there appear to have been two small windows in the wall above. The interior has a gallery around three sides supported by turned wood columns. A floor has been inserted to the central area and the upper part converted to a Masonic Hall. The lower floor is used as a church room. It was superseded by a new Methodist chapel in Church Street, 100 yards to the east, in 1899.https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCO30414&resourceID=1020

https://pglcornwall.org.uk/news/masonic_centre/isles-of-scilly/

https://scillyestateagents.com/island_main/church_house/church_hall.html

1900 Bible Christian Chapel

(Ann Cunningham)

Located at the north-east corner of Church Street and Well Cross.

1899/1900: The new chapel on Church Street was built as a Bible Christian Chapel at a cost of around £1,300.

Designed by the architect A J Trenear who was also contracted for carpentering, painting and glazing at £746. Messrs John Ellis and Son were contracted for the masonry and plastering at £444. Local famers carted stone from the quarry free of charge.

The chapel was built to seat 350 people, 198 on the ground floor and 152 in the gallery.

George Woodcock of Church Street, St Mary’s, laid the principal foundation stone on Thursday 20 April 1899 in the presence of Rev. W B Lark, President of the Bible Christian Conference. Jabez Gibson of St Martin’s laid the Visitors stone. Miss Ada Jenkins of St Mary’s laid a stone on behalf of the Christian Endeavour and Norman and George Roberts laid the Sunday-school stone.

Building of the new Sunday school was agreed by the governor of the Islands, T A Dorrien Smith, in exchange for taking the old chapel. It is noted that the Listing of this chapel does not include a Sunday school and that the old chapel was still in use as a Sunday school in 1906.

The pipe organ by Hele and Company of Plymouth was installed in 1910.

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

1907: Became Church Street United Methodist Church. ((SWChurches)

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

1932: With dwindling congregations and the Methodist Union in 1932, the St Mary’s Methodist Churches (Garrison Street, Holy Vale, Old Town, and Tresco) all merged to join the United Methodists in this building, which became St Marys Methodist Church or perhaps Church Street Methodist Church according to SWChurches.

The rostrum and communion rail were moved from the Wesleyan Chapel in Garrison Street (see Wesleyan history) and installed here. Another innovation at that time was the arrival of mains electricity in 1932.

In 1963 a manse was completed so that the circuit minister had his own home (previously he lodged or rented accommodation from an island family).

The church remains active on St Marys and is one of the only two remaining Methodist Chapels on Scilly (the other being St Martins).