Collycroft, 'Ebenezer' Primitive Methodist Church

Orchard Street, Bedworth, CW12 8BW

Pater Barber, 30.07.15

The date on the gable end of Ebenezer Primitive Methodist Chapel says 1851-1878. 

The Primitive Methodist Sunday School on the right was built in 1907.

More information can be found here.

These photos were taken by Peter Barber on 30 July 2015.

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  • The Ebenezer Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in Back Lane (now Orchard St) in 1851. The 1851 religious census records 56 seats with an attendance of 56 adults at afternoon and evening services and 35 children at the Sunday School. The Minister for this chapel (and Bulkington) was Joseph Harris. In 1852-3 they were holding afternoon and evening services on Sundays plus an evening one on Tuesdays. There were to be Protracted meetings in January 1853. The chapel was rebuilt with 120 sittings in 1878 in stone with brick dentilation and a slate roof; it appears on Warwickshire Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880s onwards and just once in a trade directory, in 1874. There is an inscription on the chapel saying ‘P.METHODIST CHAPEL 1851 rebuilt 1878 EBENEZER’ and an attached Sunday School, built in 1907, with bold lettering ‘PRIMITIVE METHODIST SCHOOL’. The buildings are in good condition and still in use as a Methodist Church and Sunday School today. Sources: 1851 religious census for Warwickshire, HO 129.399.1.4.21; Michael Harris: Preachers’ Plan Coventry Primitive Methodist Circuit 1852-3; F. White & Co., History, Gazetteer and Directory of Warwickshire, Sheffield, 1874, p. 572.

    By Anne Langley (28/02/2020)
  • The Primitive Methodist magazine for April 1852 contains an account by James Prosser of the opening of Collycroft Primitive Methodist chapel.  Collycroft is described as a ming district with a population of around 500 people. It was missioned before 1832 but by 1850 there were only 9 or 10 members.  They considered closing the society, but a revival broke out in January 1851 so that the room would not hold half those who wanted to attend, so a piece of freehold land was bought.

    The opening took place on October 12th 1851 with preaching by Rev Richard Jukes. Later sermons were preached by Miss MC Buck.

    The chapel was 30′ x 25′, 16.5′ high and seated up to 200 people. It cost £170 of which £55 had been raised. Special thanks were due to D Rowbottom for the donation of £5. “We have a thriving Sunday school and a good congregation”.

    By Christopher Hill (06/02/2017)

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