Netherhay Methodist Chapel

Netherhay Methodist Chapel is a Methodist Chapel in Netherhay, near Drimpton, West Dorset, England.[1] The chapel remains active as part of the South Petherton and Crewkerne Methodist Circuit. The chapel has been a Grade II listed building since 1984.[2]

Netherhay Methodist Chapel
Religion
AffiliationMethodist
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusActive
Location
LocationNetherhay, Dorset, England
Geographic coordinates50.8449°N 2.8336°W / 50.8449; -2.8336
Architecture
TypeChapel
Completed1838

The chapel was built with "dressed stone walls on a chert rubble-stone base". It has a slate roof, which includes some carved wooden barge-boards, added in 1898.[2] A burial ground was established alongside the chapel.[3]

History

Netherhay Methodist Chapel was built in 1838. The funds for its construction was raised by public subscription, while the plot of land had been donated by Henry Northover of Greenham. The chapel was opened on 2 October 1838 by Rev. Thomas Lessey.[3][4] In 1887, a schoolroom was added to run Sunday school classes, and in 1898 the chapel was restored and a porch added.[5] By the late 20th century, the chapel was under threat of closure due to the declining number of worshipers.[6]

In the early 2000s, the remaining members of the chapel began looking at restoring and modernising the chapel, while ideas to broaden its use by the community were considered.[6] After a period of fund-raising, the chapel underwent renovation and modernisation in 2007–08.[7] The chapel remains active as part of the South Petherton and Crewkerne Methodist Circuit and also regularly holds exhibitions and workshops. An adjoining community room is used for small events and meetings, and two small studios are let to local artists.[7][8]

References
  1. "Dorset HER". Heritage Gateway.
  2. "METHODIST CHURCH, Broadwindsor - 1290543". Historic England. 31 July 1984. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  3. Pulman, George Philip Rigney (1875). The Book of the Axe: Containing a Piscatorial Description of that Stream and Historical Sketches of All the Parishes and Remarkable Places Upon Its Banks. ISBN 9780901571212. Retrieved 2 July 2017 – via Google Books.
  4. "The Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine". 1839. Retrieved 2 July 2017 – via Google Books.
  5. Stell, Christopher (20 May 2009). An Inventory of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting-Houses in South-West England. ISBN 9780113000364. Retrieved 2 July 2017 – via Google Books.
  6. "Presence Papers 1: Stories of how Christian congregations have made a difference in their rural communities" (PDF). The Methodist Church. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  7. "Netherhay". South Petherton and Crewkerne Methodist Circuit. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  8. "Netherhay Chapel". Creative Somerset. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
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