Market Place Wesleyan Methodist, Ramsbottom

The church does not have a graveyard.

It was founded before 1838 and it closed in 1997 due to dry rot in the roof. They moved to the Youth Club on Carr Street until a new church could be built. This was Christchurch and Neighbourhood Centre which opened on 5th December 1999.

The Wesleyan Chapel, built in 1873, is of stone in the Italian style, and has sittings for 700 persons : the cost, including school rooms, was about £4,500.

from Slater's Directory, Lancashire 1895

The Wesleyan Methodist chapel and school founded in Ramsbottom was opened in July 1825. Subscriptions were collected to erect a new chapel in the 1870s. With the addition of land purchased from Mr and Mrs Cain, the two-story structure was reopened on the same site on 22 October 1874. In 1896, a manse was bought for the incumbent on Bolton Road ('Salmesbury House').

A further wing was added to the school in 1911. The school was requisitioned for wartime activities during the Second World War, but Sunday School activities continued. Prior to 1949, Ramsbottom Wesleyan Methodist Church was part of the Haslingden (or 'Manchester Road') Circuit. Ramsbottom became part of the new Bury Circuit, and Bolton and Rochdale District after September 1949.

The Wesleyan Methodist church was formed in the 18th century from religous societies founded by John Wesley and his preachers. It suffered many secessions, but was the largest Nonconformist denomination in the 19th century. In 1932 the Wesleyan Methodists joined with the Primitive Methodists and the United Methodists to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain.

This site provides historical information about churches, other places of worship and cemeteries. It has no connection with the churches themselves.

Whilst every effort has been made to record exact details of record office and library holdings you are recommended to check with them before visiting to ensure that they do hold the records and years you wish to examine. Similarly check with transcript publishers to ensure they cover the records and years you require before making a purchase.

Original Registers

It was located at SD7918116988 (Lat/Lon 53.648976, -2.31643). You can see this on maps provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)