Wesley's Chapel and Museum of Methodism, London
John Wesley stands outside the chapel he founded. Photo © Mike Reed.
Wesley's House, with Wesley's Chapel on the left.
Wesley's Chapel from the foyer during a Sunday service.
The Reverend Lord Leslie Griffith greets a congregant after the service;
there are many West African members of Wesley's Chapel.
Interior of Wesley's Chapel.
The chapel's font, with stone step from John Fletcher's house in Fiji.
The altar area, designed by Wesley.
John Wesley's bedroom, where he died in 1791.
John Wesley's prayer room, adjacent to his bedroom.
John Wesley's sitting room.
Letter from Charles Wesley to John Wesley in the Museum of Methodism.
John Wesley's pulpit and preaching collar in the Museum of Methodism.
Around the time the Americans were declaring their independence from Britain, Wesley's Chapel was being built in London. Although unknown to most tourists, this church is of great importance to Methodists around the world - it has been dubbed the "Cathedral of World Methodism."
John Wesley (1703-1791) was an Anglican minister, evangelist, and the founder of Methodism. The site in the City of London includes not only Wesley's chapel but also his house, his tomb, the Foundry Chapel, and the excellent Museum of Methodism.
History
Wesley was already an ordained minister in the Church of England when he underwent an evangelical conversion at a Bible reading in London in 1738.
In his subsequent preaching, he encouraged a life of prayer, Bible study, and charity work. Eventually Methodism became a separate denomination from the Church of England and today there are up to 70 million Methodists worldwide.
The site of Wesley's Chapel was purchased from the Corporation of London in 1776 and construction by a local preacher commenced in 1777. The Chapel was opened on 1st November 1778.
Wesley used the City Road Chapel (only later called "Wesley's Chapel") as his London base. Wesley's Chapel was the first Methodist church in London built for the celebration of communion and preaching. It is not the first Methodist church, however - that honor belongs to the New Room in Bristol.
In 1891, to mark the centenary of Wesley's death, the chapel was refurbished. The original oak masts that supported the gallery were replaced with marble pillars from around the world. As it was the Civil War era, the chapel received are two pillars from America: North and South. The stained glass windows were also added at this time.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher got married at Wesley's Chapel in 1951. A devout Methodist, she attended services here from time to time but the security arrangements eventually made it very difficult to do so.
Wesley's Chapel remained in continuous use by Methodists until structural problems forced it to close in the early 1970s. It was repaired and reopened on November 1, 1978, its 200th anniversary, in the presence of the Queen Elizabeth II.
Today, there are about 300 members of Wesley's Chapel. The congregation includes a significant number of West African Methodists, which reflects the missionary emphasis of the denomination.
What to See
Although Wesley called his chapel "neat, but not fine," its Georgian lines and other features are quite attractive. The chapel was built according to Wesley's own design. It faces Bunhill Fields across the street, where his mother Susanna is buried. Wesley's tomb is behind the chapel.
The Museum of Methodism, in the chapel's crypt, traces the history of Methodism from Wesley to the present day. It includes original letters penned by John and Charles Wesley, John's pulpit, items associated with Methodism's missionary work around the world, and a small gift shop.
Wesley's house was built next door to his chapel in 1779. Wesley spent the last 11 winters of his life here and died in his bedroom on March 2, 1791. Visitors can view many of John Wesley's belongings inside the house.
I am not a Methodist, but as a church crawler and religious history enthusiast I had wanted to visit this important site for a long time. I hadn't been able to fit it in on previous visits to London, mainly because it is a little out of the way, but finally my husband and I stayed in a hotel in the City for the weekend and Wesley's Chapel was an easy walk away.
We arrived at Wesley's Chapel at about 11:30am on a Sunday, and naturally enough a service was in progress. We had a look at the outside of Wesley's House and were disappointed to see signs saying it was open only Monday to Saturday. A kind older man saw us lingering outside and approached us, saying there was a service on but we were welcome to join it. He estimated it would be over at 12:05.
We popped in briefly and loitered in the foyer, where there were several other people sitting and chatting. Two cute little kids ran back and forth shrieking with delight. A friendly woman handed us a hymn book and order of service pamphlet and said we were welcome to join, but didn't pressure us one way or the other. We listened to the sermon for a little while but in the end decided we should spend the extra time looking around Bunhill Fields across the street, as we didn't have a lot of time before hotel checkout.
We came back at 12:15 and the service was still going on, so we sat outside again, getting a bit wet in the rain. Once again we were spotted by the nice man, who encouraged us to come inside and wait. My husband overheard him tell a fellow church member in disbelief, "I found them standing out in the rain!"
Before long, a woman approached us and said after everyone cleared out of the sanctuary there would be a short talk and then the museum and Wesley's house would be opened. Yay! The older man stood by us for a bit, and told me that the man preaching was not only a Reverend but also a Lord by birth.
The service ended around 12:30 with some rousing songs, and everyone began to stream out. The congregation was warm and friendly and nearly half were west African, dressed in splendid patterned robes with headdresses for the women. We were encouraged to join everyone for tea and coffee in a side room afterwards, and I popped in briefly and grabbed a delicious, unsweet deep-fried ball of dough.
We moved into the sanctuary to wait for everyone to leave, and the lady came to chat with us again. She said there were two (Anglican) bishops in attendance today, pointing out the bishop of Bengal talking with a group of people in the front of the church, and told us about the huge wedding of two Methodist ministers held there yesterday.
Finally it was time and we were ushered to the front of the church along with about eight other visitors who had shown up in the meantime. There was a brief and interesting talk about the history of the church with references to main points of interest in the interior, followed by a walk up to the altar and the font for further explanations.
Next we were led downstairs to the Museum of Methodism, where we had about 15 minutes to look around and pose for photos in John Wesley's pulpit.
Then we were taken in two small groups over to Wesley's House, where we had a thorough tour of each room accompanied by interesting anecdotes to go with many items. I believe that during normal opening hours, visitors can explore the house without a tour. Either way, it is well worth a visit: not only for the Wesleyan history but for the opportunity to see a nearly complete 18th-century London home with period furniture.
Map
Location map and satellite view of Wesley's Chapel (center marker). Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around.
| Names: | Wesley's Chapel |
| Dates: | Completed 1778 |
| Type of site: | Methodist church; Protestant site |
| Address: | 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU |
| Location: | See map |
| Website: | http://www.wesleyschapel.org.uk |
| Phone: | 020 7253 2262 |
| Tube: | Old Street (exit 4) or Moorgate |
| Buses: | 5, 43, 55, 76, 141, 214, 243, 271, 505 |
| Hours: | Chapel, house and museum: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; Sunday noon-1:45pm; Closed Dec. 25-Jan 1 and public & bank holidays except Good Friday. |
| Cost: | Chapel free. House and museum are also free, but donation of £2 per person is requested. |
Sources
- Personal visit (June 24, 2007)
- Wesley's Chapel and Leysian Mission - official website
- Wesley's Chapel, House & Museum of Methodism - Frommer's Attraction Review
- Wesley's Chapel and House and Museum of Methodism - UK Travel
- Wesley's Chapel, London - review by the Mystery Worshipper
- Methodist Heritage in Southern England - Methodist Heritage
- The Methodist Church in the UK - official website
