Barrow-in-Furness Marsh Street Primitive Methodist chapel

Marsh Street Primitive Methodist chapel was founded in 1875.   Mannex’s directory of Furness & Cartmel, 1882 tells us that:

“The Primitive Methodists have three chapels in the town ; one in Forshaw Street-a plain brick building with school underneath, and capable of seating 600 persons. It was erected in 1866 at a cost of £1,300. A second in Hartington Street, built in 1874 at a cost of £2,750, and capable of accommodating 600. A third one was built in 1875, in Marsh Street, at a cost of £2,950, and will accommodate 700. The superintendent of the Barrow circuit is the Rev. J. Prestwich, with two assistant ministers.” 

The chapel was closed in 1953 and sold to the North Western Electricity Board in 1954.  It was demolished in August 2009 to make way for a new housing development. An Archaeological Building Report prepared at that time makes interesting reading, including the following:

“The chapel was always struggling for funds, mainly due to its
location within one of the poorest areas of Barrow and financial mismanagement by the trustees. In 1890s the chapel was at the centre of a financial scandal, caused by the fraud and embezzlement by successive treasurers and a lack of resolution of the crisis by the District Committee (Burgess 1979, 20).  With the outbreak of WWII came more financial burdens. In 1941 enemy action caused bomb damage.”

On Google Street View the site is shown as an empty space between terraced housing in August 2014.


Reference:

2009 Archaeological Building Recording: OLD CHAPEL BETWEEN 14 AND 16 MARSH STREET, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, CUMBRIA  accessed January 19th 2015

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