Churches of the British Isles

The old Mawla Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (First Site) is on the east of the lane into Mawla from Chapel Croft, just thirty metres before reaching the present church (below). The first chapel here was built in 1842, seating 120, slightly to the side of the present building. It became the Sunday school when a second chapel was built in 1908 (now gone). The Sunday school became unsafe, being demolished about 1960 to be replaced by this Nissan-hut-like building in 1961.

The present Mawla Wesleyan Methodist Church is within sight of the original chapel location (see above). It was built in 1908, with the foundation stone being laid by local preacher Mr George Simmons. The chapel seats about 120 people. During its centenary year the long-awaited community hall was built and opened, in September 2008. The church continues to be very active in the community but its congregation has dwindled and there are no regular services.

Skinner's Bottom Wesleyan Methodist Chapel can be found due east of Mawla, heading back past Chapel Croft (see above) and following the road eastwards for about 1.6km. The chapel stands at the north-west corner of a crossroads. An earlier chapel (perhaps of 1860) was partially storm-damaged, to be replaced by this one in 1869, and opened in 1870. It became Skinner's Bottom Methodist Church in 1932. It closed in 1975, was sold in 1977, and is now residential.

Skinner's Bottom Bible Christian Chapel may have been a relatively short-lived establishment in what is still a very low-density area of Cornwall's countryside. Its foundation appears to date from the 1820s, with available records suggesting that a lease of land from the manor of Goonearl is related to it, allowing the chapel to be built. Unfortunately its precise location has been lost, with even Victorian OS maps generally being too late to include such an early building.

Skinner's Bottom Primitive Methodist Chapel (First Site) sits on the southern side of the road, about a hundred metres west of the Wesleyan chapel (see above). This is likely the area's first Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1837. The front section was a single room with cob walls, since extended. In 1840 the society was having financial difficulties but despite this they went on to build a second chapel (see links) in 1875. The old building eventually became residential.

All photos on this page by Jo Lewis.