Last opportunities to see inside Alnwick’s Methodist Chapel

But as the church moves to a new location, their ministry in Alnwick will continue.

The church, on Chapel Lane was built in 1786. John Wesley, the cleric and evangelist who founded the Methodist movement within the Church of England, preached a number of times in the church at the end of the 18th Century. The pulpit, from which John Wesley preached, is going to Bailiffgate Museum and will form part of a new display on the religious history of Alnwick.

Church steward Ruth Bull explains: “Before lockdown we had a survey of the church carried out and we had a list of areas where essential work was necessary. This was delayed for obvious reasons. Following lockdown the estimates we had sought, to make the church suitable for a worshiping community in the 21st Century, had risen to over £300,000. As our congregation is between 20-30 depending on the season this was a huge amount. After much soul searching it was decided that morally, in this troubled world, we couldn’t warrant spending that amount of money on a building when there were so many other worthy projects that could benefit from any fundraising we could do.”

“So, we looked at other possible premises in Alnwick and also spoke about our dilemma at Christians Together in Alnwick. All the other churches gave wonderful support and most offered their premises for us to use. We were so grateful. After assessing the situation, we chose to go to the Salvation Army Hall as we could have our services and events at our usual times and wouldn’t interfere with any of their events.”

“The Salvation Army have been wonderfully welcoming and we plan to work together and have joint events to strengthen our presence in Alnwick.”

“We have church members who have been christened at the chapel, and married and attended all their lives. Clearly it will be very sad for them to leave our historic building and they have many memories throughout the years.”

The church is hosting a final coffee morning tomorrow (Thursday May 25th) at 10-11.30am and this offers the public a last chance to look around.

The last service at the Chapel will be on Sunday 28th May at 10.30am and the first service at the Salvation Army Hall on Hotspur Street will be on Sunday 11th June at 10.30am. Everyone is welcome to attend both services.

Pictured: The Methodist Chapel and, inset, church steward Ruth Bull.