Easton Methodist Church
Easton Methodist Church is a Wesleyan Methodist church of early 20th century origin in Easton. It was built in 1906-07 to replace an earlier chapel serving Easton, and remains active to date as part of the Dorset South & West Methodist Circuit, alongside Underhill Methodist Church in Fortuneswell. The church (including its former manse and boundary walls) has been a Grade II* listed building since May 1993. The church's hall, formerly a Wesleyan school of 1878, and its boundary wall, have been Grade II listed since the same time.
History
Portland's original Methodist following was established in the mid-1740s by the quarryman William Nelson. Although the society dissolved after Nelson's death in 1770, the arrival of Methodist preacher Robert Carr Brackenbury to Portland in 1791 saw a new, larger following formed, with the assistance of George Smith. During 1792, Brackenbury had a small chapel built at Fortuneswell and a house hired in the hamlet of Wakeham to serve as a preaching house for Tophill. The house was replaced with one that Brackenbury purchased outright in 1794, while after his death in 1818, his wife, Mrs Brackenbury, had a purpose-built chapel erected at Wakeham in 1825 to serve the growing Methodist community.
Throughout the 19th century, Portland's Methodist following continued to increase as the island's population grew. In particular, the mid-19th century transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge, along with the various government works linked to it and the Royal Navy's increasing presence at Portland, resulted in large increases to Portland's population and its Methodist circuit. As a result, a new Wesleyan Methodist chapel was constructed close to Easton Square in 1854 to replace the one at Wakeham. However, as the 20th century approached, both the Easton chapel and Brackenbury's original one at Fortuneswell became too small to serve the local population. Plans were made to have the two chapels replaced, with Underhill Methodist Church being the first to be approved and built in 1898-99.
The Methodist following at Tophill's Easton approved their estimated £7,015 new church scheme in 1902. The plans for the replacement church, which were drawn up by Messrs Latrobe and Weston of Bristol, included a ladies' parlour, lecture room and minister's vestry, as well as a minister's house. Fundraising began with collections during the Sunday services of 27 April 1902. A meeting held the following day to discuss the scheme saw promises of subscriptions and donations amounting to over £800. Mr. Robert Pearce also gifted part of the site at a value of £300. From that year, much fundraising was organised through events such as collections and bazaars. A grant of £750 was received from the Wesleyan Methodist Twentieth Century Fund and numerous public subscriptions were received. During 1905-06, the proposed site at Easton Square was purchased for £910, next to the Wesleyan school of 1878.
As the chosen site for the church was occupied by two cottages, demolition and clearance work was undertaken by men of Portland's Methodist following on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 August 1906. Once the site was cleared, the laying of the church's foundation stone took place on 26 September. The well-attended event began with the singing of the hymn "Christ is our Corner Stone", followed by a reading from Rev F. E. Watson and a prayer from Rev F. Leadley. Mr. Gibbs of Weston-super-Mare, whose grandparents had donated the land for the 1854 chapel at Easton, laid the foundation stone.
The event was followed by the laying of the memorial stones on 17 October 1906, by which time the building stood approximately 12 feet high. The afternoon ceremony began with the singing of a hymn, followed by a prayer by Adjutant Moat of the Salvation Army, a reading by Rev. F. E. Watson and an address by Rev. C. Angwin. A total of 54 memorial stones were laid during the ceremony by 61 people. Unlike those of Underhill's new church, the stones were all plain with no names or inscriptions. Instead, the names of those laying them were later engraved on a brass plate for display inside the church. A public meeting followed in the evening in the 1854 chapel. The day raised £352 towards the church's funds.
Another stone laying ceremony was held on 1 December 1906 to raise further funds towards the church. The ceremony concentrated on involving the children of the Portland circuit in the church's construction and the ceremony began in the adjacent schoolroom. After a hymn, Rev. C. Angwin offered a prayer and Master Walter Stowell Browne gave an address to the children, followed by the reading of Psalms by Masters Flann and Lowman Stone. The superintendent of the school, Mr. Robert Pearce, laid the first stone, which was followed by many others laid by children and others in attendance. The schoolroom was used afterwards for a public tea and two meetings. The day generated a further £60 for the building fund.
Construction of the church was undertaken by Messrs Wakeham Bros of Plymouth for £5,097, with Messrs Hibbs and Bower of Portland providing the dressed stone and Mr. Joseph Beer acting as honorary clerk of the works. Costing £6,720 to build, the new church was opened on 12 September 1907, with the opening ceremony performed by Mrs. John Angell Gibbs of Penarth, formerly Miss Scriven of Portland and widow of the brother of Mr. Gibbs. Rev. Dinsdale T. Young of Wesley's Chapel, London, performed the opening service, which was followed by a public tea in the adjacent Wesleyan school and a later evening service. The last of the opening services was held on 29 September 1907, with the Connexional temperance secretary, Rev. John A. Sharp of London, as the preacher.
Easton Methodist Church remains active today as part of the Dorset South & West Methodist Circuit, which was established in September 2018 with the merging of the Portland, Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport circuits. In addition to its religious use, the church is used for a variety of community-based events and projects. Four spaces are open to host events: the Large Hall (formerly the school of 1878 which was replaced by the new Tophill School in 1926), Weston Room, Southwell Room and the Sanctuary.
Design
The church, designed to seat 900 persons, is built of snecked Portland stone with ashlar dressings. The roof is made up of Broseley tiles and the twin spires on the eastern side of the building stand at a height of 70 feet. The church is designed in the Early English style, with Norman and Renaissance influences. The flooring of the porch and aisles is made up of vitreous tiles and the nave contains pillars of Cornish granite. Galleries are located on three sides of the building and all seating is made of dark-stained Oregon pine. The rostrum, of Portland Stone and Carrara marble, was carved by Mr. Shepheard of Boscombe. The font of Portland stone was gifted by Messrs. Hibbs and Bower.
In 1907, the Southern Times and Dorset County Herald described the church as "spacious" and "exceedingly handsome". They added: "Its two tall towers make it a conspicuous object to the whole of Tophill. On approaching closely the full beauty is as if suddenly bursting upon one." Portland Urban District Council, in an official 1950s guide to the island, described it as being "one of the most handsome buildings on the island".
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Churches, Buildings and Views - St George's Church - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland's Population - Paul Benyon - website page
3) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Wesleyan Methodist Church - Easton - Paul Benyon - website page
4) Dorset South & West Methodist Circuit - Easton - website page
5) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Easton Methodist Church with Former Manse and Boundary Walls - website page
6) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Wesleyan School with Boundary Wall - website page
7) Isle of Portland Official Guide - Portland Urban District Council - Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd, Chelternham and London - circa 1962 - page 20 - book
8) Methodism in Portland and a Page of Church History - Robert Pearce - Charles H. Kelly (publisher) - 1898 - book
9) Portland Methodist Circuit - Official Website - Easton - website page
10) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
History
Portland's original Methodist following was established in the mid-1740s by the quarryman William Nelson. Although the society dissolved after Nelson's death in 1770, the arrival of Methodist preacher Robert Carr Brackenbury to Portland in 1791 saw a new, larger following formed, with the assistance of George Smith. During 1792, Brackenbury had a small chapel built at Fortuneswell and a house hired in the hamlet of Wakeham to serve as a preaching house for Tophill. The house was replaced with one that Brackenbury purchased outright in 1794, while after his death in 1818, his wife, Mrs Brackenbury, had a purpose-built chapel erected at Wakeham in 1825 to serve the growing Methodist community.
Throughout the 19th century, Portland's Methodist following continued to increase as the island's population grew. In particular, the mid-19th century transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge, along with the various government works linked to it and the Royal Navy's increasing presence at Portland, resulted in large increases to Portland's population and its Methodist circuit. As a result, a new Wesleyan Methodist chapel was constructed close to Easton Square in 1854 to replace the one at Wakeham. However, as the 20th century approached, both the Easton chapel and Brackenbury's original one at Fortuneswell became too small to serve the local population. Plans were made to have the two chapels replaced, with Underhill Methodist Church being the first to be approved and built in 1898-99.
The Methodist following at Tophill's Easton approved their estimated £7,015 new church scheme in 1902. The plans for the replacement church, which were drawn up by Messrs Latrobe and Weston of Bristol, included a ladies' parlour, lecture room and minister's vestry, as well as a minister's house. Fundraising began with collections during the Sunday services of 27 April 1902. A meeting held the following day to discuss the scheme saw promises of subscriptions and donations amounting to over £800. Mr. Robert Pearce also gifted part of the site at a value of £300. From that year, much fundraising was organised through events such as collections and bazaars. A grant of £750 was received from the Wesleyan Methodist Twentieth Century Fund and numerous public subscriptions were received. During 1905-06, the proposed site at Easton Square was purchased for £910, next to the Wesleyan school of 1878.
As the chosen site for the church was occupied by two cottages, demolition and clearance work was undertaken by men of Portland's Methodist following on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 August 1906. Once the site was cleared, the laying of the church's foundation stone took place on 26 September. The well-attended event began with the singing of the hymn "Christ is our Corner Stone", followed by a reading from Rev F. E. Watson and a prayer from Rev F. Leadley. Mr. Gibbs of Weston-super-Mare, whose grandparents had donated the land for the 1854 chapel at Easton, laid the foundation stone.
The event was followed by the laying of the memorial stones on 17 October 1906, by which time the building stood approximately 12 feet high. The afternoon ceremony began with the singing of a hymn, followed by a prayer by Adjutant Moat of the Salvation Army, a reading by Rev. F. E. Watson and an address by Rev. C. Angwin. A total of 54 memorial stones were laid during the ceremony by 61 people. Unlike those of Underhill's new church, the stones were all plain with no names or inscriptions. Instead, the names of those laying them were later engraved on a brass plate for display inside the church. A public meeting followed in the evening in the 1854 chapel. The day raised £352 towards the church's funds.
Another stone laying ceremony was held on 1 December 1906 to raise further funds towards the church. The ceremony concentrated on involving the children of the Portland circuit in the church's construction and the ceremony began in the adjacent schoolroom. After a hymn, Rev. C. Angwin offered a prayer and Master Walter Stowell Browne gave an address to the children, followed by the reading of Psalms by Masters Flann and Lowman Stone. The superintendent of the school, Mr. Robert Pearce, laid the first stone, which was followed by many others laid by children and others in attendance. The schoolroom was used afterwards for a public tea and two meetings. The day generated a further £60 for the building fund.
Construction of the church was undertaken by Messrs Wakeham Bros of Plymouth for £5,097, with Messrs Hibbs and Bower of Portland providing the dressed stone and Mr. Joseph Beer acting as honorary clerk of the works. Costing £6,720 to build, the new church was opened on 12 September 1907, with the opening ceremony performed by Mrs. John Angell Gibbs of Penarth, formerly Miss Scriven of Portland and widow of the brother of Mr. Gibbs. Rev. Dinsdale T. Young of Wesley's Chapel, London, performed the opening service, which was followed by a public tea in the adjacent Wesleyan school and a later evening service. The last of the opening services was held on 29 September 1907, with the Connexional temperance secretary, Rev. John A. Sharp of London, as the preacher.
Easton Methodist Church remains active today as part of the Dorset South & West Methodist Circuit, which was established in September 2018 with the merging of the Portland, Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport circuits. In addition to its religious use, the church is used for a variety of community-based events and projects. Four spaces are open to host events: the Large Hall (formerly the school of 1878 which was replaced by the new Tophill School in 1926), Weston Room, Southwell Room and the Sanctuary.
Design
The church, designed to seat 900 persons, is built of snecked Portland stone with ashlar dressings. The roof is made up of Broseley tiles and the twin spires on the eastern side of the building stand at a height of 70 feet. The church is designed in the Early English style, with Norman and Renaissance influences. The flooring of the porch and aisles is made up of vitreous tiles and the nave contains pillars of Cornish granite. Galleries are located on three sides of the building and all seating is made of dark-stained Oregon pine. The rostrum, of Portland Stone and Carrara marble, was carved by Mr. Shepheard of Boscombe. The font of Portland stone was gifted by Messrs. Hibbs and Bower.
In 1907, the Southern Times and Dorset County Herald described the church as "spacious" and "exceedingly handsome". They added: "Its two tall towers make it a conspicuous object to the whole of Tophill. On approaching closely the full beauty is as if suddenly bursting upon one." Portland Urban District Council, in an official 1950s guide to the island, described it as being "one of the most handsome buildings on the island".
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Churches, Buildings and Views - St George's Church - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Portland's Population - Paul Benyon - website page
3) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Wesleyan Methodist Church - Easton - Paul Benyon - website page
4) Dorset South & West Methodist Circuit - Easton - website page
5) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Easton Methodist Church with Former Manse and Boundary Walls - website page
6) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - Wesleyan School with Boundary Wall - website page
7) Isle of Portland Official Guide - Portland Urban District Council - Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd, Chelternham and London - circa 1962 - page 20 - book
8) Methodism in Portland and a Page of Church History - Robert Pearce - Charles H. Kelly (publisher) - 1898 - book
9) Portland Methodist Circuit - Official Website - Easton - website page
10) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
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