Mapping Methodism - Skinners Bottom Wesleyan Chapel
Skinner’s Bottom is a hamlet near Mount Hawke and Porthtowan. Nothing has been found about the location of the original Wesleyan chapel for which the 1869 building appears to be a replacement. This profile has been compiled by Clive Benney and Tony Mansell.
1869: New Chapel built at the crossroads in the centre of the village and, because of its date, we assume that it was to replace a previous place of worship.
1938: Outside toilets being built but it seems that there were problems and they were not completed until 1942.
1957: Low attendances prompted a letter to all parishioners seeking their views.
1975: Closure form signed and its use as a chapel discontinued.
Chattels distributed to other local chapels or sold.
1977 – October: Building sold for £4,500. The chapel minutes state: “After two years of negotiation, “Manchester (Methodist Chapel Committee) delayed things to get the new legislation through to their advantage and the solicitors excelled themselves in dragging their feet.”
Mapping Methodism - Skinners Bottom Primitive Meeting House
Skinner's Bottom is a hamlet near Mount Hawke and Porthtowan. The first chapel or meeting house in Skinners Bottom dates from 1837. This profile has been compiled by Clive Benney and Tony Mansell.
1837: Society first appears. (“Primitive Methodism in Cornwall” by J C C Probert)
1837: Chapel opened. (1)
The first Primitive chapel in Skinners Bottom was probably this single storey building on the left when travelling from the village to Ivy Chimney. The front section was a single room built with cob walls. It has since been extended but the original roofline and windows mark this out as a former meeting house. (Photo: Tony Mansell)
1840: Society facing financial problems with £26 being needed to avoid having to sell the chapel. (1)
1875: New Chapel built on a site down the lane on the right after passing the Wesleyan Chapel in the centre of the village.
The project seems to have been plagued with financial problems.
1894: Trustees borrowed £90.
The Directors of the Primitive Methodist Chapel Aid Association Limited, from whom the money had been borrowed, were involved in lengthy correspondence with the Trustees.
1909-1910: Circuit papers refer to closure of the chapel. (1)
1910 to 1920: Remained on Circuit Plan but no services held. (1)
£40 still owed to the Chapel Aid Association making it difficult to sell. (1)
1924: Freehold purchased.
Property sold
