Yarm Methodist Church, Yarm, Yorkshire, UK - Methodist Churches on Waymarking.com

John Wesley was involved in the planning and construction of this chapel in 1763 and declared it as his 'favourite' chapel.

He preached here 18 times including on his 72nd birthday in June 1774.

It is the oldest Methodist octagonal chapel in continuous use as a place of Methodist worship since its construction.

A quote from John Wesley's Journal:
"I preached about noon at Potto and in the evening in the New House at Yarm, by far the most elegant in England. A large congregational attended at five in the morning and seemed to be just ripe for the exhortation - Let us go on and perfection"
April 24th 1764

This was the first time Wesley preached in the completed building, though he had in fact had a great influence in it's design.

The earliest records relating to this church concern the plot of land in which it stands. These show that it was conveyed to George Merryweather, a prominent local business man and leader of the Methodists in Yarm on 18th June 1763. Correspondence between Merryweather, Wesley and others lead us to believe that the building was used at Christmas 1763 and officially opened soon afterwards.

Major changes were made to the building in 1815 when the walls were raised and a gallery was added, accessed by an internal staircase. This more than doubled the capacity, bringing the total accommodation to about 350. The extended building was re-opened by Rev Richard Reece who became President of the 1816 Conference.

The next change took place in 1873 when a new porch-cum-staircase was grafted onto the Wynd side of the Octagon. This massive structure was constructed in unsympathetic white brick and was aesthetically a disaster.

The Hall was added in 1892 and in 1896, the organ loft incorporating the well proportioned arch was constructed and work was done to improve the small vestries. A second hand organ was purchased for about £100 from Stokesly Parish Church and was installed by Harrisons of Durham.

The instrument was replaced in 1978 by a refurbished organ formerly used in Shilden Methodist Church, The facade of the original instrument was retained and the Shilden organ was fitted behind it.
This second organ was not as robust as the Shilden organ and after much heart searching it was replaced by a computerised Allen organ in 1993.
Fortunately the sound reproduced the Allen is indistinguishable from that of a pipe organ and issues from speakers mounted close to the original facade.

In 1963 the two Methodist societies in Yarm, West Street and Wesley amalgamated to form a new society some 120 members strong. They marked the occasion of the bi-centenary by making significant improvements to the building.

The ugly front staircase was replaced by a less offensive structure. A new room was added and the entire roof was re-slated.

By 1986 the need for further expansion was evident and efforts were made to acquire the house and land adjacent to the church. This project was eventually abandoned and in 1988 the Kitchen and toilet areas were redesigned and reconstructed making better use of the available space.

Both the Church and the Hall are listed buildings and any changes are subject to detailed scrutiny by several outside bodies.


www.yarmmethodistchurch.org.uk/history.aspx

Active church?: Yes Year Built: 1763 Service times: Sunday 10.30am Website: [Web Link]

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   07/25/2021 lordbigfoot visited it