Trimingham, 'The Cart-Shed Chapel'

North Walsham Circuit, Norfolk

Postcard, c1908
Steven Wild

Transcription of article in The Primitive Methodist Leader, 11 June 1908, p.389 

This interesting photograph of the entrance to our chapel at Trimingham, on the North Walsham station, was taken through the kindness of Mr Henry Broadhurst, late MP for Leicester, who visited the chapel on the afternoon of May 3rd. The descriptive account and generous appeal for help from his pen appeared in the Leader oflast week. This is not the first occasion on which Mr Broadhurst has shown his ‘sympathetic interest’ in our work; we have reason for deep gratitude.

We have held services in Trimingham village for about forty years. At first, and at intervals, our only sanctuary has been the open air; then we found refuge in a cottage by the sea, and now we have risen to the dignity of this ‘Cart-Shed Chapel!’  Our people have for years been anxious to build a small chapel, but have been unable to secure a suitable site. Mr Broadhurst, on our behalf, very recently approached a large landowner in the hope that he would sell us a few yards, but received a flat refusal ‘to sell land in Trimingham.’ Had Mr Broadhurst’s ‘Compulsory Sites for Chapels Bill’ been carried into Law, it might have served our case well. The building is in reality a transformed cow-shed, and is quite unique in its way. The view from the road is even more striking than the entrance. Strangers, in their search for the chapel, have passed it repeatedly, never dreaming this could be a place of worship. Visitors to this health resort have worshipped with us, and have been so delighted with the homely service as to startle the steward by contributing more to the collection than the whole congregation could contribute in several collections.

The Society is in a vigorous condition, and stands greatly in need of a suitable chapel. We are hoping that land will be secured before long, and we shall gratefully receive and acknowledge any assistance forthcoming as a result of the ready support given by Mr Henry Broadhurst.

John A Snaith.

Editor’s note

Their appeal was successful, and the first purpose built Trimingham PM Chapel opened the following year.

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