Methodist history

TWO HUNDRED YEARS of Methodism will be celebrated in Bourne this summer, a milestone on the road of non-conformism that began with the remarkable story of a few dedicated supporters who wished to follow their own path of religious faith.

Methodism is a movement of Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organisations and traces its roots to the evangelical revival within the Anglican church by John Wesley (1703-91) which began during the 18th century when he took to open air preaching and encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally, his great achievement being the appointment of itinerant, un-ordained preachers.

There is a published account of Wesley visiting Bourne during his travels around England in 1782, a solitary horseman clad in the garb of a clergyman of the Episcopal Church who turned off the Great North Road at Colsterworth to find out what his people called Methodists were doing in Bourne. He reputedly stayed at the Golden Lion in West Street and then preached in the market place before resuming his journey to Market Deeping and beyond. However, the story is most likely to be apocryphal because there is no mention of it in his journals but is too good not to be repeated here.

By 1800, Methodism had become active at the village of Aslackby, north of Bourne, where John Burrows and his wife had moved from Skillington, near Grantham, and had begun preaching, soon establishing local communities at Billingborough and Rippingale. There was also great interest in Bourne but no preacher and in 1808, four men from the group walked the seven miles to Aslackby to beg for someone to come and speak to them, offering to find him a room for the night and to take good care of him and his horse during his stay. And so, on 14th January 1809, Mr Pollard, a minister from Grantham, agreed to come to Bourne, the first of many visits over the next few months held in a cottage in Star Lane, now Abbey Road, while the four men of Bourne, headed by John Redshaw (1761-1834), subsequently became permanent hosts during his visits. Two years later, on 23rd July 1810, a certificate was granted by the Diocese of Lincoln recording that the property was now certified as “a place of religious worship for those of His Majesty’s protestant subjects dissenting from the Church of England, commonly called Methodists”.

The movement grew rapidly, from just eight members in 1810 to sixty-five in 1815 and during the intervening period, a piece of land in Star Lane measuring 12 yards by 10 yards was bought from William Greasley for £20 for the building of the first chapel which was opened in 1812 at a cost of £200 and soon after Queen Victoria's accession in 1837, Bourne was placed at the head of the local circuit when the first ministers were the Rev J Waller and the Rev Thomas Bakewell. Mr Waller was described as "a fine gentleman of the genuine old Methodist type, very hearty but very eccentric". When it was discussed at the Methodist Conference who should go to the Bourne circuit, he said: "I will go if you will send my boy with me."

The "boy" was, in fact, Thomas Bakewell and they worked together in harmony and with great enthusiasm but unfortunately, before a year had passed, Bakewell died of typhoid in 1839 at the age of 23, and is buried in the east end of the churchyard where a tombstone marks his grave. Mr Waller preached a deeply moving sermon at his passing based on the words: "As a son he hath served with me in the gospel."

The congregation in the early days was sustained by a small group of families but in 1828 they managed to raise the £135 needed to buy more land nearby with a view to building a larger chapel. Further land was purchased in 1841 and this enabled the present chapel to be built at a cost of £1,200 with its distinctive façade of huge Doric pilasters. The work was carried out by Thomas Pilkington (1809-1889), a Scotsman who had settled in Bourne, and the building was opened the following year and registered as a Place of Religious Worship on 17th February 1854 and authorised for the solemnisation of marriages on 9th July 1862.

A gallery was added to the new building in 1867, financed by Robert Munton in memory of his wife, and this increased the seating capacity of the chapel from 344 to 434. For some time, the choir and harmonium were situated there and for many years afterwards, the music at services was provided by the Redshaw family. Mr John Redshaw (1823-1895), grandson of John Redshaw, one of the four men of Bourne, was the choirmaster and his daughter the organist, and there is a tale told that on one occasion, Mr Redshaw, from his position as choirmaster in the gallery, was clearly heard urging "the bottom singers not to drawl, but to try to keep up with the choir".

Further improvement work was carried out in 1877 and 1891 when the old pulpit was replaced by a modern platform and the pews by open seats and in 1964 the old chapel was demolished to make way for a new hall. The building was Grade II listed in 1977 but in 1988, surveyors declared it unsafe with a tilt of six inches in the classic frontage and although demolition was the first reaction, restoration was subsequently carried out at a cost of £300,00 and it remains in use.

A new floor was installed and the ceiling lowered during 2008 and the following year major changes were announced to move the worship area to the first floor and develop the ground floor. The £500,000 project under the slogan “Fit for the Future” will incorporate a spiral staircase and a lift and provide a link with the church hall next door, thus turning it into one large building. The design is expected to produce a new block that is both functional and attractive and provide additional space for community as well as church events. Fund raising has already started and once underway, the building work is expected to take eight months to complete. Meanwhile, special services on Sunday 25th July will mark 200 years of Methodism in Bourne to demonstrate that the movement is still alive and well.