Religious Faith in Wolverhampton

Methodism | 1 | 2 | 3 |

Wolverhampton Chronicle, 31st August 1825

Darlington Street Chapel, Wolverhampton (E3/DAR/E/1)

Interior of Darlington Street Church, Wolverhampton, 1899 (E3/DAR/I/2)

In the 1890's it was decided to demolish this chapel, rebuilding it in a design more in keeping with Methodism and better fitted for the new century.

On 29th October 1899 the closing meeting was held and the congregation met temporarily at the Agricultural Hall, Snow Hill. The new building was completed two years later and was opened by Miss Jenks, a leading Wolverhampton Methodist.

Darlington Street Church, Wolverhampton (E3/DAR/A/E/4)

Interior of Darlington Street Church, 1976 (taken from Darlington Street Methodist Church Seventy Five Years 1901-1976)

Methodists were keen to evangelise their neighbours and establish meeting places in the region. Members of the church would move to an area where no Methodist society existed in order to establish one.

In 1837 for example, a steel trap maker named Joseph Ecclestone went to live in Wednesfield Heath (Heath Town) and invited some of his friends from Wolverhampton to come and lead the meetings.

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Entry from 1841 Census showing Joseph Ecclestone and his family

Methodists were very keen on temperance. Many Methodist churches and chapels formed temperance groups where members swore to abstain from drinking alcohol.

One such group was the Bilston Wesleyan Temperance Society.

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Extract from Bilston Wesleyan Methodist Temperance Society Register of Members 13th December, 1893 (MC-BW/8/1)

The list includes a total of 54 members and shows their ages and addresses. It also gives an indication of their occupations, such as merchant, electrician and ironfounder.

It is also interesting to note that not all members of this temerance society were abstainers!

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