Churches of the British Isles

The second chapel which now stands at the front of the site on the southern side of Fore Street was build in the late nineteenth century. It became Polperro Methodist Church at the Methodist union in 1932. As it stands today it has a three-bay buttressed front with a large four-light Perpendicular-style traceried window to the central bay. The building underwent renovation work in 2024, along with repainting. It remained active on the local circuit into 2026.

Polperro Wesleyan Methodist Association Chapel sits at the base of Talland Hill. It was built in 1838 by Jonathan Couch and followers who left the Wesleyans in 1837. Billy O'Bryan on a visit in 1838 is reported to have opened the chapel. It was United Methodist from 1907 (the second in town) and then Polperro Central Methodist Church at the union of 1932. It closed in 1956 and later hosted an estate agents with a store in the basement. It is now residential (Kirk House).

Polperro (First) Bible Christian Chapel was built in 1837, slightly further up Talland Hill to the east of the Wesleyan Methodist Association Chapel (above), and to the right of this shot. There are records at Kresen Kernow of a Zion Methodist Chapel in Polperro which may well be this chapel, and Bible Christian pew rents are recorded in 1869. However, records are mixed and duplicated with the other Polperro Methodist chapels, making a detailed story hard to come by.

Polperro Nonconformist Meeting House may have stood along The Warren, on the northern side of the harbour, as Polperro's earliest nonconformist meeting house. John Wesley is reported to have preached here in 1768 (his second visit) and also reportedly disliked the smell. Given fact that The Warren ran next to the harbour it was likely the smell of fish which disturbed him. Wesley also stayed in a building in the village which later became 'The Refuge' (see below).

Polperro Old Meeting House ('The Refuge') is on the Big Green, now 'Wesley House'. John Wesley stayed here in 1760. Public worship was allowed on 26 March 1800, thought to be in this house as a precursor to the 1815 Wesleyan chapel (above). It became 'The Refuge' Wesleyan meeting room in 1835, likely a meeting place for Jonathan Couch and his splitters after the Fore Street chapel, prior to building their own chapel on Talland Hill (above). It is now a holiday cottage.

Three photos on this page by Jo Lewis, two copyright © Sebastian Doe and Wayland Smith via Geograph, reused under a cc licence, and one copyright © Tony Mansell and reused with consent from the Mapping Methodism Project.