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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 06 March 2006 |
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Castle Donington links with methodism go back almost as long as
methodism itself. It is well documented that the founder of the
methodist church, John Wesley, visited Castle Donington numerous times
betweem 1742 and 1743. His reasons for doing so at the time was to vist
his friend and patron, Selina, Countess of Huntingdon who was at the
time resident in Donington Hall,
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John Wesley
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The first record of him preaching in the area was on June 13th 1741
where he preached in both Melbourne and Hemmington. However the first
record of him preaching in Castle Donington was Saturday July 28th
1770. His journal for that day is as follows :-
I rode to Castle-donnington, but haymaking had emptied the town
till a violent shower brought all the haymakers home, who received the
good word with gladness.
By 1776 methodism had firmly take root here and Castle Donington
was the most important place on the great Leicester circuit. This can
be seen from the accounts of money received, where the Castle Donington
church raised more than Asby-de-la-Zouch, Burton-upon-Trent, and
Loughbrough put together and more than twice that raised in Leicester.
In fact for 13 years Castle Donington continued to pay the largest
quarterage in the Leicester circuit.
At the time there was no actual church, but a Chapel-house which
served as both church and residence of the minister. This continued
until 1823 when a purpose built chapel was built on the site of the
chapel house, on the corner of Dovecote and Apiary Gate(Almost opposite
to the present St Edwards primary School). The account books record the
following :-
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Finished pulling down the Old Methodist Chapel, May 5th 1823; began to
build the New Chapel, May 7th 1823. The dimensions, 42 by 36 feet clear
within
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The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel which stood on the corner of Apiary Gate and Dovecote. It was opened in 1823
and later became the County Cinema. It is now the site of private garages
Worship continued here till 1905 when the present
church was built and so giving the present two spire outline to Castle
Donington we see today.
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The design was by the Nottingham architect,
AE Lambert, whose work also included the Albert Hall Methodist Mission,
and the Midland Railway Station in Nottingham. Pevsner's Leicestershire
volume in the Buildings of England series described this church as
being designed in the typical Nonconformist free Gothic style of the
date.
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Laying the foundation stone of the new Methodist Church in Market Place,May 16th 1905
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The foundation stone for the present church was laid on Wednesday 16th May 1905 and it was officially opened on Wednesday 17th May 1906. The building has recently been listed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport: earning a Grade II listing on account of its being a handsome and unusually complete example of an Edwardian Methodist Church.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 20 March 2006 )
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Church History
