Hart's Hill Primitive Methodist chapel

Charter Street BRIERLEY HILL DY5 1LA

The Primitive Methodist magazine of October 1857 contains an account by J Grieves of the opening of Hart’s Hill Primitive Methodist chapel in 1857.  Hart’s Hill is described as within one mile of Brierley Hill (which he also spells Brierly Hill) and with a rapidly increasing population. The population was expected to increase further for years to come with the establishment of “some large iron works which will afford employment for some hundreds of additional hands”.

From 1854 the society met in “an inconvenient room which has been far too small for our improving congregations and Sunday school.” A centrally located plot of freehold land costing £45 was obtained and a foundation stone for a new chapel laid by Mr E Thomason of Tipton in April 1857. Sermons were preached by J Grieves, T Hall, P Pugh (Dudley) and Captain Barton of Liverpool.

The new chapel was 36′ x 25′ and 19′ high, with an oval ceiling, a singing gallery over the door and a neat vestry, 12′ square.  There was sufficient land at the back to build a school room.

The opening took place on July 12th 1857, with sermons by T Penrose of Leeds and W Pearson of Moor-lane cottage. On 26th July preachers were Captain Barton and H Higginson.  The whole chapel cost £269 of which they had raised £70.

On the 1883 1:500 Ordnance Survey map, the Primitive Methodist chapel in Hart’s Hill is shown in what was then Chapel Street next to the Cock Inn.  It is also labelled “St John’s chapel room for 200” and there is a Sunday School at the rear.  It is still there in 1938, but by 1964 has disappeared and Chapel Street has become Charter Street.  The pub is still there.

On Google Street view in 2009 the area around the chapel that was originally terraced housing has become an industrial estate and the chapel site is a factory lorry park.  What looks like the pub is still there, but not a pub any more.


Reference

Primitive Methodist magazine October 1857 pp.620-621

 

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