Churches of the British Isles

Mevagissey Congregational Chapel is at the farther end of Chapel Square, on the corner of Chapel Street and with St Andrew's behind it (to the right here - see above). The first building on this site was erected in 1776 as Mevagissey Independent Church. It could seat 450 and the work was handled by architect Silvanus Trevail. The present building replaced the first in 1882. When St Andrew's United Church was formed, this building was converted to be part of it.

Mevagissey Primitive Methodist Chapel stood on Bank Terrace, to the north of the harbour. The early Primitive Methodist society had no chapel buildings here. However, by 1870-72 this had changed. John Wesley was a friend of Samuel Dunn and probably also stayed at his house, now the Haven Restaurant on Fore Street. A Primitive minister and later leader of the Methodist Reformers in the 1850s, Dunn may have provided his house as this first Primitive meeting house.

Mevagissey Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (First Site), nicknamed Net Loft Chapel, stands at the north end of West Wharf. Wesley visited the town in 1753, preaching probably at Trewinney Farmhouse (see links). When still a net loft, John Wesley reportedly gave his first Mevagissey sermon at this location. Then it became the town's first Wesleyan chapel (1757). It is now the Wheel House Restaurant, sans top floor but with pews from Fore Street Chapel (below).

Mevagissey Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (Second Site) lay right behind that street - on Wesley Court. The chapel was built in 1842 for six hundred sittings and was a fairly large building in this confined location. Upon the Methodist union in 1932 it became known as Fore Street Methodist Church. It closed in 1967 and has since been demolished in favour of modern flats and parking spaces. The pews went to The Wheel House (formerly Net Loft Chapel - see above).

Mevagissey United Free Methodist Chapel lay at the east end of Valley Park Lane (seen here from the Tregoney Hill junction, with Corner Cottage on the left). A United Free (Methodist) chapel is marked on early maps, sitting behind the stone wall here on the right. This is likely what was recorded as the Free Methodist chapel, built in 1857, affording 250 sittings. It was still there (on maps) in 1938 but was not a chapel by 1963 and seems to have gone by 1971.

All photos on this page by Jo Lewis.