Hugglescote Station Road Wesleyan chapel (i), Leicestershire

The plaque set high in the front gable reads Wesley/Chapel/1851. Note “Wesley” not “Wesleyan”. Given the date it is a moot point whether this building was erected by the Wesleyans or the Wesleyan Reformers. We know that in 1873 the Wesleyans were using a rented building which seated 200 but four years later White’s Directory makes no mention of Wesleyans but states the Wesleyan Reformers were using a chapel built in 1851. Kelly’s Directory of 1888 mentions the Wesleyans but the reformers are absent and in 1891 the Wesleyans were still in rented accommodation which now seated 160. In spite of the gaps in the record we may conclude that the Reformers occupied this building, perhaps from the beginning until about 1880 when the Wesleyans took over. They used it as their place of worship until their new chapel was built in the 1890s when this building probably became the school hall which was reported in 1940. The Methodists have now left the site which is now occupied by a firm of consultants

John Rylands Library University of Manchester, MAC Lawson Returns of Accommodation provided by Wesleyan Methodist Chapels and other Preaching Places, Ashby de la Zouche Circuit 1873/511, 1891/160 1901/638

White’s Directory of Leicestershire, 1877, p244

Kelly’s Directory of Leicestershire, 1888, p537

Site visit 22.10.2022