St Mary's Methodist Church, Isles of Scilly

St Mary's Methodist Church, Hugh Town is a Methodist church in Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly. It is currently Grade II listed.

St Mary’s Methodist Church, Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly
St Mary’s Methodist Church, Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly
Map
49°54′53.9″N 6°18′44″W / 49.914972°N 6.31222°W / 49.914972; -6.31222
LocationHugh Town, Isles of Scilly
CountryEngland
DenominationMethodist
Previous denominationBible Christian
Architecture
Architect(s)A.J. Trenear
Groundbreaking1899
Administration
CircuitIsles of Scilly Methodist Circuit
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameChurch of St Mary (Methodist)
Designated14 December 1992
Reference no.1218680

History

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Bible Christians arrived in the islands and began preaching from the Bishop and Wolf Inn. The first chapel was built on Church Street in Hugh Town around 1836 (and is now used as the Masonic Hall).

The current chapel was built at a cost of around £1,300 (equivalent to £184,800 in 2023)[1] between 1899 and 1900 to the designs of the architect A. J. Trenear. The foundation stone was laid on Thursday 20 April 1899 in the presence of Rev. W. B. Lark, President of the Bible Christian Conference.[2] The Governor of the Islands, T. A. Dorrien-Smith, agreed to take the old chapel which adjoined the St Mary's Girls’ day school and build a new Sunday school adjoining the chapel. Alfred Trenear was contracted for carpentering, painting and glazing at £746, and Messrs John Ellis and Son were contracted for the masonry and plastering at £444. Local famers carted stone from the quarry free of charge. The chapel was built to seat 350 people, 198 on the ground floor and 152 in the gallery.

George Woodcock of Church Street, St Mary's, laid the principal foundation stone. Jabez Gibson of St Martin's laid the Visitors stone. Miss Ada Jenkins of St Mary's laid a stone on behalf of the Christian Endeavour, and Norman and George Roberts laid the Sunday-school stone.

In the 1930s, it merged with the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the rostrum and communion rail were moved from the Wesleyan Chapel and installed in the Church Street chapel.[3]

Organ

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The pipe organ by Hele and Company of Plymouth was installed in 1910.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  2. ^ "New Bible Christian Chapel at Scilly". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 27 April 1899. Retrieved 7 October 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "St Mary's Methodist Church history". Isles of Scilly Methodists. Isles of Scilly Methodists. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  4. ^ "NPOR [G000990]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 8 October 2020.