THE WESLEYAN CHAPEL, situate at the corner of Warwick-gardens,
Kensington, is a specimen of one of those buildings by which we may say
that Nonconformists have made a step in the right direction. It is
architectural, and, though of simple character as regards material, being
of brick and stone and covered with slate, yet the brick and stone have
been treated very successfully in the design of the west front. It
claims to be an example of Early English work, and, with its spire and
pinnacles, forms a good feature, seen from the entrance of the gardens
from the Kensington main road. Enclosed by iron gates and rails, and
dwarf walls, the chapel is approached by a flight of steps and entered by
a vestibule or lobby, which also gives access, to the right and left, to
the gallery stairs. Inside, considering the large galleries, which at
all times are an objection, the effect is exceedingly good. The light
ribbed roof over the body of the chapel is supported by a timber arcade
of very good design, and if, instead of iron, the columns that receive
the arcade had been of wood, we should, in spite of the galleries, have
been able to report some very successfully effective work. The organ is
recessed, and appears just above a somewhat tall and bulky pulpit.
Beyond this there is very little to remark save the quiet neatness that
prevails generally. The basement is occupied by school and class rooms
and offices, with separate entrances and approaches. The chapel is from
the designs of Messrs. Lockwood and Mawson, of London and Bradford; and
the building contract carried out by Mr. Nevill Simonds, of London. The
warming was executed by Messrs. Stuart and Smith, of Sheffield; and the
standard gas-lights by Messrs. Thomasson and Co., of Birmingham.
[Picture: Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Warwick Gardens]
This chapel was opened for worship on Thursday, the 10th December, 1863,
and is partly the fruit of a general effort among the Wesleyan Methodists
for chapel extension in London and its suburbs. The first metropolitan
chapel building fund was started in 1861, and zealously promoted by the
Rev. W. Arthur, M.A., and the late Rev. John Scott, in connexion with
several of the wealthier laymen. The spirit of church and chapel
erection which has recently taken hold of other leading religious bodies,
and notably of the Establishment, has been largely participated in by the
Wesleyan body; so that the chapel business which centres in a Chapel
Committee has become a very large and imposing department. It
superintends the erection of chapels in every part of the Connexion, and
has its rules upon which these works are to be carried out. Every chapel
built without compliance with its regulations and primary sanction is
jealously viewed, and reported to Conference as irregular, with profound
“regrets” at the Methodistic insubordination implied in it. No matter
though a chapel be made really a good property of and handed over, it
cannot condone the offence against the spirit of _red-tapeism_ centreing
in the Conference Committee. It will only be officially recognised after
a good scolding has been administered to the offenders for the pains they
have taken to erect a chapel for Methodism. This is one of the points at
which the Central Conference rule is liable to collision with local
voluntary efforts, and often produces great irritation. The Committee
administers the chapel erection fund and makes grants in aid. It also
controls a large sum of money—raised some years ago to assist in clearing
chapels from debt. This money is lent out to trustees upon application,
to be returned in so many annual instalments, free of interest. Probably
no fund has been more useful to the material interests of Methodism.
Chapels formerly burdened with debt have been set free by yearly payments
similar to what they were before paying for interest; and thus their
resources have been left available for extension purposes. There is also
a special fund for chapel building in Watering-places, commenced by the
Rev. W. M. Punshon in 1861, which succeeded very well as far as it went,
but did not attain large dimensions. The “Metropolitan Chapel Building
Fund” is a more important and progressive affair. It started with a
subscribed fund of 20,000_l._, to be kept up by annual appeals; and an
effort is now being made to raise a very much larger sum—Sir Francis
Lycett having made the generous offer of 50,000_l._, to be distributed in
sums of 1,000_l._ each to fifty new chapels, that shall be erected in the
metropolis with a specified accommodation, within a given time. For this
offer to be utilised to the full extent, at least 200,000_l._ will have
to be raised.
The Warwick gardens Chapel benefited from the first fund to the extent of
1,000_l._, the whole estimated cost being 4,700_l._ In default of a
freehold, 32_l._ per annum is paid as ground-rent, which was to be
covered by a yearly investment. 1,175_l._ was left as a temporary debt,
to be paid off within one year. We believe, however, that this was found
to be impossible, and the debt in whole or part, still remains. The
estimated income from seat-rents was fixed at 200_l._ per annum, a very
small estimate indeed, had the project succeeded. But in this there has
been grievous disappointment. The chapel will accommodate 1,000 persons,
but after more than seven years it hardly commands an average
congregation, in all, of 200, and a number of these are from a distance,
and properly belonging to other Methodist congregations. We fear,
therefore, this is a case to be recorded as so far a failure.
A degree, perhaps, of laudable ambition has led some leading Methodist
ministers and laymen of late years to desire to place chapels in
neighbourhoods different from those usually occupied. In short, there
has been a movement to plant chapels in more _respectable_ localities,
such as that of Warwick-gardens. But if the experiment is to be judged
by its results in this instance, it would appear a lamentable mistake;
and it may after all be worth considering whether John Wesley’s own rule
will not yet serve Methodism for all time—“To preach the Gospel to the
poor, and to go not only to those who need us, but to those who need us
most.” There are Sunday-schools, where about 100 children of both sexes
attend; and four or five small classes, which include all the society at
present attached to the chapel. It is united in what is called the
Bayswater Circuit, the headquarters of which are in the Denbigh-road,
Bayswater, and which has three ministers appointed to it by the
Conference. These are assisted in the occupation of the pulpits by
ministers belonging to Connexional departments in London, or students
from the college at Richmond. The chapel, therefore, has the best
ministerial provision that the system of Methodism can supply, but there
appears to be no public effect. On Sunday evening, 21st of May, the
pulpit was occupied by the Rev. W. B. Boyce, one of the secretaries at
the Mission-house in Bishopsgate-street. He holds a high position in the
body, and on many accounts is deservedly respected. He has seen much
service in the Mission-field; and to this it may be in part attributable
that he retains in speech the broad provincialisms of his early life. He
also holds fast to the old Methodist style of putting the doctrine of
“Conversion,” which was the subject of his discourse. According to his
teaching on this occasion, a man may be everything Christian to the
outward eye—and even be a martyr for the truth—and yet be unconverted,
unsaved, and perish eternally. If such a case be _possible_, we must
remark it is so rare in experience that it may well cause a minister to
pause before he gives it prominent and unqualified application in a
sermon. There are certain to be a number of weak consciences and
doubting minds in every congregation, who must be very much troubled and
perplexed with such teaching, whereas there may not be a single
individual to whom it really applies. It is a mode of preaching, in our
idea, not based upon sufficiently large views of human experiences and
circumstances; yet Mr. Boyce exhibits great sincerity and earnestness.