John Wesley in town
John Wesley recorded preaching at Great Marlow in 1742. His subject was the "Pharisee and the publican." He had not divined that Marlow would soon be known for it's large number of licenced premises per head of publication. The publican he refers to was a public official, in that case a tax collector. Wesley was not always welcomed when he arrived to preach but his reception seems to have been mild at Marlow. The next day he was at Windsor where a considerable rabble declared they wouldn't let him preach. He did manage to do so however as fortunately for Wesley, some of those intending to disrupt proceedings had gone to a nearby fair to buy fire crackers. While there they got into a brawl and were arrested before they had a chance to go back and test their aim on Wesley. There isn't any evidence of a deluge of recruits to Methodism after this visit, in fact it wasn't for 60-70 years that there was a real start for the Wesleyans here.
Preaching under a tree..and in a barn
Sgt George Cole of the junior branch of the Royal Military Academy at Great Marlow (at Remnantz in West Street) was the man later credited with starting the Wesleyan movement in Marlow. A staunch Methodist himself, he was disappointed to find no place of worship or indeed any fellow Wesleyans at Marlow in the first decade of the 19th century. Of course George may not have known the beliefs or sympathies of everyone in town but he certainly would have known if there was any organised worship there or not. He arranged for the circuit preachers in the area to make a stop at Marlow instead of riding by. With no established meeting place, the worshippers gathered under a tree near the Common Slough (Spittal Square). This was a type of meeting point familiar to the Wesleyan preachers at least and it had the advantage of making the sermons audible to passers by whether they wanted to listen or not! The preachers must have done a good job as George Cole quickly managed to gather enough support to hire a barn for their meetings. This was off Spittal Street, adjacent to the site they'd later have a purpose built chapel. They didn't have exclusive use of this building of course. Whether it was still used for farming purposes isn't clear but apparently it was used for theatrical performances, lectures and the like in the week. The Congregational church members also used barns early on their life in Marlow. The Methodists barn was later called gloomy as it was poorly lit with just "tallow drips" to see by. No wonder that a quickly growing congregation inspired George and the others to aim high. They arranged with Robert Rockhole to purchase a large field that ran behind Spittal Street back up to Cambridge Road. They didn't even in their wildest dreams need such a large site. So they divided it up, kept a portion to build on and sold the rest to James Meakes whose family would start the Anchor Brewery on their portion but I'm not sure they yet put it to that use. Money from the sale were invested back into a chapel building fund but was nowhere near enough to commence work. So they took out loans for the purpose. The new building was opened in 1810 by the Methodist author Dr Benson. It was a building of a design considered suitable at the time, quite plain outside and in but importantly, not so gloomy and cold as a barn! It was able to accommodate 300 people. There were complaints later that the building may have been put up in a bit of a rush and wasn't too well built. It wasn't especially cheap though - it was said to have cost over £1400. The worshippers only settled the chapel debt for this initial building in 1862. Fears about the stability of the building came to a head in 1860 when it was observed the front of the building was bulging alarmingly. The walls needed to be pinned. This work and the addition of a porch was completed in 1864 along with interior alterations such as the lowering of the pulpit. After all this the building was thought to be much strengthened and improved. In fact the South Bucks Free Press considered it the most handsome and commodious place of worship on the circuit.
New works a foot
No doubt the congregation had had enough of building work for a while. But they long had a dream of erecting a new Sunday school building. A Sunday school existed before that date but I was not sure if it had a separate building or used space within the chapel. Then I found a report of speaker at a Sunday school event in 1870 who said that a Sunday School building had been erected within the last 12 years for use of that and as a day school. Traces of the day school are feint in other records, but see my post on the Marlow British Schools for more on this subject here. Regardless of what accomodation they already had, the Sunday school needed more room so when in 1885 the buildings of the now defunct Anchor brewery next door became available, the Wesleyans purchased them. Included was the original old barn they first met in. They developed the site for their new Sunday school, spending £818 on the project. The architect was Charles Carter of Marlow and the builders Messrs Wellicome ditto. It was originally said that some of the brewery buildings themselves would be enlarged and adapted but whether the final design incorporated any part of the Anchor I am not sure. The old Sunday school was still up when the new Sunday school was open as it was used to host a celebration tea on the first day of official use in January 1886. It was however soon to be demolished. The capacity of the new building was 350 children, and it would have 4 classrooms. (It had 145 enrolled members in 1909.) The name was proudly carved over the main entrance. One of the speakers at the public opening was especially pleased to see a brewery site converted to such good works as he said he was a former brewer who had now become a total abstainer.
Big Ambitions
The number of worshippers and supporters in the 1880s and 90s meant they could be ambitious and start thinking on improving the chapel itself. Extensive decoration was done but before long it was again considered to be in a poor state and actually too dangerous a condition to begin structural alterations as originally intended.
So in 1898 they decided to move ahead and build an impressive new chapel. It would be on the same site of the old but about 12ft closer to the street. Designer was Richard Wellicome, one of their worshippers and also their sometime organist who handily was also an architect and surveyor. More of Richard another day. A new organ chamber wasn't initially put in, but it was planned to do so as soon as the building debt was reduced enough so it's future inclusion was factored in to the design. (The old organ did come into the new build in the mean time.) It was decided to start work once £500 had been raised. In 1899 tenders were requested for the erection (won by Lovells of Marlow) and the old was already being demolished - last services were held there in July 1899. While the work was ongoing, the Congregational church in Quoiting Square kindly offered the use of their premises for services. An old infant school at the Wesleyan site is mentioned again as it was to do temporary duty as a vestry. Once the chapel was ready, it was said the old vestry "at the north end of the building" would be retained as was the "ministers accomodation." Did they mean the original vestry of the old chapel or the ex schoolroom which was doing duty as the vestry during the building work? Either way it's intriguing some of the old building(s) may have been retained at least for a while. I've been told this vestry and school room at the rear of the chapel were demolished a little time after the Second World War.
The impressive new chapel opened in December 1901. When the idea had first been discussed they hoped to build it for £1200 but this budget was soon upped and the final cost was £1800. They were especially pleased with the inclusion of toilets, hot water pipe heating and the latest design of incandescent lamps hanging from the ceiling and in wall brackets.
Jolly times
The youngsters attending the Sunday school had an annual outing for games, singing and the consumption of bountiful supplies of tea and cake. Booker common was a favourite destination, not too far away. The children were transported in borrowed waggons and carts.
The chapel had - like most "non conformist" groups in the town - a Band of Hope. This was a children's temperance society. They encouraged youngsters to take the pledge against alcohol consumption so they were in the habit of temperance from an early age. The Band had weekly meetings, their own outings and various events in the year. The group got it's own magic lantern for the children to enjoy. The Wesleyan Band of Hope also apparently recruited adults presumably as supporters and helpers. The first group was set up with the other non conformist places of worship in the town and so sometimes met at other churches. Eventually most of the chapel's maintained their own individual bands. It was obviously successful at recruiting members - in 1881 they'd had 200 people sign the pledge through their efforts. How many kept to it is of course not recorded! The chapel was also the meeting place for the non denominational Marlow Total Abstinence Society in the 1890s. Most of the members of that were non conformist worshippers.
What a nice display...of blotting paper
Due to all the improvement works at the chapel, fundraising was ever ongoing and I love to read the descriptions of their money making entertainments. If for example you went along to the bazaar held at the chapel in 1899 you could enjoy recieving a mild electric shock thanks to Frederick Dukes galvanic battery - Frederick enjoyed electrocuting people at all kinds events all over town so being a non Wesleyan would not spare you. Other attractions were stereoscopic views and a bewildering range of needle worked knick knacks. In the bazaar of 1885 you could look at a model of a chair factory with 40 moving figures, and visit the stall run by Alfred Davis of Marlow Football Club fame, who was managing a borrowed miniature printing press that could produce little address cards. Less interesting in my eyes is a display of award winning blotting paper, as featured in the 1907 money raising bazaar.
Related posts:
The primitive Methodists of Marlow: here
Index of posts about churches and chapels - here
More on the Dukes family here
Grave of minister John Hogg here
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
©MarlowAncestors
Sources included:
The Works - John Wesley. Edited by John Emory. (18--)
Marlow Directory and Almanack, 1907 & 1915. (Marlow Printing Co)
Marlow Guide 1905
Sutcliffe, Barry P, Church, David - 250 years of Chiltern Methodism (1988 Moorleys)
South Bucks Standard 4th September 1898, September 9th 1893, March 3rd & May 19th 1899, December 13th 1901
Oxford Journal April 14th 1810
Maidenhead Advertiser February 4th 1870, December 17th 1884, January 6 1886, September 9th & December 30th 1885.
Bucks Herald August 7th 1875 & 14th February 1878, April 9th 1907
Berkshire Chronicle - 10th January 1885, 26th September 1885
Slough, Eton & Windsor Observer January 30th 1886
Post Office Directory 1854
Reading Mercury 15th July 1899
Kelly's Directory of Buckinghamshire 1899.
South Bucks Free Press - 29th July 1864
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