Methodist mission rooms and meetings

In a comment on the Lost Layerthorpe page Mike Clark mentioned a Methodist chapel on Duke of York Street. I’ve found references to a Methodist mission room, and gathered here information relating to Layerthorpe mission rooms and meetings from the ‘Protestant Nonconformity’ chapter in A History of the County of York: the City of York. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1961. Digitised and available online at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/city-of-york/pp404-418. Footnote numbers relate to the page on that link. Links added to the text below lead to other pages here on the Layerthorpe project site.

In the summer of 1874 the Primitive Methodists held open air mission meetings in Layerthorpe. During the winter of that year two rooms were rented in ‘Lawson’s Yard’ (possibly in Bilton Street) where preaching meetings and services were held for three years. In 1877 two houses with a large yard in Duke of York Street were purchased and a missionchapel was erected in the yard at a cost of about £700. (fn. 340) A passage through one of the houses forms an entrance to the chapel. This building, known as the DUKE OF YORK STREET MISSION ROOM, was opened 3 February 1878; there is accommodation for 190 persons and the room is also used by a Sunday school.(fn. 341) The mission room was part of York First Primitive Methodist Circuit and subsequently of Monkgate Circuit; it was still used by the Methodist Church in 1955.

Wesleyan Methodists:

Prior to 1888, mission work in the Layerthorpe district, north-east of the city walls, was organized from Centenary Chapel. In that year premises at the corner of Mansfield Street and Foss Islands Road were acquired at a cost of £806. (fn. 250) This building became known as the LAYERTHORPE WESLEYAN MISSION and formed part of Centenary Circuit. In 1892 the membership of this society was 76 and the average attendance at the chapel 350; 250 pupils attended the Sunday schools. (fn. 251) By this time the original room was inadequate and extensions were made so that 950 persons could be accommodated and the capacity of the Sunday schools was increased by 500 additional places. (fn. 252) The cost of all these alterations was £1,094. (fn. 253) The mission continued in these buildings until 1923 when it seems to have closed. (fn. 254) The premises were sold in 1924 (fn. 255) and in 1955 were occupied by a firm of confectionery manufacturers.

The confectionery manufacturers were Craven’s, I think.

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