Mapping Methodism - Carharrack
Billy Bray Memorial Bible Christian Chapel
1840: “Great Deliverance Chapel” built by Billy Bray; it was east of the village – in Consuls Road.
1874: “Great Deliverance Chapel” closed.
1870s: The Bible Christians purchased a coal yard and warehouse in the centre of Carharrack and converted it into a chapel.
1883: The Bible Christians built a larger chapel on the same site. “On Fore Street the Bible Christians erected a large 'Memorial Chapel' to Billy Bray. This was to take the place of a smaller original chapel built by the famous evangelist on the eastern outskirts of the village of Carharrack and named by him ‘Deliverance’.
1885: The new “Billy Bray Memorial Bible Christian Chapel” opened.
1894: The photographer Argall made a montage of drawings and photographs of the St Day Bible Christian chapels.
1907: The Methodist New Connexion, Bible Christians and United Methodist Free Churches amalgamated to become the United Methodist Church.
1907: The chapel was renamed the “Billy Bray Memorial United Methodist Church”.
1932: The Wesleyan, Primitive Methodist and the United Methodist Church amalgamated to become the Methodist Church of Great Britain
1932: The chapel was renamed the “Billy Bray Memorial Methodist Church”.
1975: Billy Bray Memorial Methodist Chapel closed.
1987: The building was demolished and replaced by four houses known as Billy Brays Mews.
Notes taken from The Old Parish of Gwennap website
Non-conformist chapels began to spring up all over the place when the movement split into many different schisms. The Bible Christian, and Primitive Methodist were two of the most popular but they were allowed to do little other than baptise. Some larger Wesleyan Chapels were licensed for marriage but few had burial grounds. Those wishing to marry had mostly to travel to the registry Office in Redruth. On Fore St in 1883 the Bible Christians erected a large 'Memorial Chapel' to Billy BRAY. This was to take the place of a smaller original chapel built by the famous evangelist on the eastern outskirts of the village of Carharrack and named by him ''Deliverance''. This later chapel was also demolished in 1987.
A " Museum to Cornish Methodism" is situated in the listed Wesleyan Chapel, built on a plot of land between Wheal Damsel Road and Chapel Terrace in 1812. This replaced the older Octagon Chapel at Gwennap were Wesley had often preached between 1743 -1762. The building is in a fine setting with the Sunday schoolroom built in 1906 on the same site. The old village pump is also preserved here, re-erected by the Old Cornwall Society in 1990.