PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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After John Wesley's death in 179 his Methodist movement began to split up into Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists and United Free Methodists. In 1815 the Bible Christian Society was formed at Shebbear in north Devon by a young Cornishman called William O'Bryan (1778-1868) and local farmer, Mr James Thorne. The first Chapel was built there in 1817. O'Bryan's itinerant preachers began their work in Plymouth in 1819, preaching in any rooms or dwelling-houses they could rent. Meetings were held at first in a room in Willow Street, then in the Golden Fleece public house in Notte Street and finally in a large loft over a tin shop on the Parade. They worshipped there for about twelve years until in 1835, tired of the room and the access to it up a narrow and ill-lit pole staircase, they courageously decided to build their own chapel. Progress was slow, however, for it was not until 1846 that fifteen men from the congregation formed themselves into a body of trustees responsible for the purchase of the land in Catherine Street and the erection of the chapel. They were neither wealthy nor learned men -- three masons, three shoemakers, a labourer, a weaver, a soap-boiler, a sugar-refiner, an ironmonger, a brewer and a coal merchant. Many thought this project would end in disaster but encouraged by Mr Alfred Rooker and his father, they proceeded with the work and found that people were more than generous with their gifts of gold and silver to help the new enterprise. The result was the Zion Chapel, which was opened on August 18th 1847. At around the same time the Bible Christians built a chapel in King Street at Devonport: it allegedly bore the date of 1845. In around 1841 the Bible Christian movement first started to hold services at Stonehouse. The premises were in Market Street until their own Chapel was erected in East Street in 1858. On Good Friday, April 14th 1865 a new Chapel in Haddington Road, Devonport, was opened, followed a few years later, in 1869, by one at Elburton, Plymstock. So crowded did the Zion become that in 1882 negotiations began to acquire a site in Cobourg Street for an additional place of worship. This unfortunately fell through but at length an excellent freehold site was found at Greenbank, adjacent to the hospital, where the Greenbank Road Chapel was opened on October 6th 1886. Further expansion saw a new Sunday School in Embankment Road opened in October 1898, followed by a new Chapel on the same site on April 29th 1903. A Sunday School was also built in 1898 at St George's Terrace, Stoke, to be followed by the Chapel, which was opened on October 31st 1906. The 32,000 Bible Christians merged with the Methodist New Connexion and the United Methodist Free Church on September 16th 1907, taking the last-named title. SEE ALSO Methodist Chapels
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