Wesley's Chapel (originally the City Road Chapel) is a Methodist church situated in the St Luke's area in the south of the London Borough of Islington, England.

It was opened in 1778 and built under the direction of John Wesley (1703-1791), who sparked a great spiritual awakening in the mid-18th century in England.

Origins & History

The architect was George Dance the Younger (1741-1825), surveyor to the City of London, and the builder was Samuel Tooth, a member of Wesley's Foundery society.

The chapel was established to replace John Wesley's (1703-1791) previous chapel in London, where he first preached on November 11, 1739. Formally, it was inaugurated with a service on November 1, 1778. Wesley's Chapel is constructed in brown brick laid in Flemish bond with dressings of yellow brick and stone.

The building has Grade I listed status and is a fine example of Georgian architecture, although it has been altered and improved since it was built. For example, the original plain windows were replaced with stained glass.

In 1864, the gallery was modernised, it's front lowered and raked seating installed. Around the gallery is motif in relief supposedly designed by Wesley: a dove with an olive branch in it's beak encircled by a serpent following it's own tail.

The Adam style ceiling was replaced by a replica following a fire in 1879. Another major refurbishment of 1891 was carried out by Holloway Brothers, collaborating with the architects Elijah Hoole (1798-1872) and William Willmer Pocock (1813-1899).

The foundations were reinforced, the apse windows were enlarged to accommodate the stained glass, and new pews were installed. The pillars supporting the gallery were originally ships' masts donated by King George III (1738-1820), but these were replaced by French jasper pillars donated from Methodist churches overseas.

An organ was installed in 1882 and the present organ in 1891; it was electrified in 1905 and in 1938 its pipes were moved to their present position at the rear of the gallery.

The location of the sanctuary, including the original communion table against the wall, in an apse behind the pulpit was common in the auditory churches of the 18th century, but few other examples survive today. The present sanctuary in front of the pulpit dates from restoration work in the 1970s. Among other alterations, the foundations were again strengthened due to subsistence and the roof was replaced.

The chapel was officially reopened on 1 November 1978, by Queen Elizabeth II (1926) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1947-2021).

A memorial to Susanna Wesley (1669-1742), mother of John Wesley (1703-1791), stands just inside the gate, and her grave is at Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, across from the Chapel.

The chapel sits within a cobbled courtyard off City Road, with the chapel at the far end and the house where John Wesley (1703-1791) lived on the right.

John Wesley's House

John Wesley's House, a mid-Georgian townhouse, was built in 1779 at the same time as the chapel. It was Wesley's residence for the last eleven years of his life and he is commemorated by a blue plaque on the City Road frontage. This Grade I listed building is open to visitors as a historic house museum.

It was built by Wesley and designed by George Dance the younger (1741-1825), at that time the surveyor of the city of London.

Wesley lived in the house for the last twelve years of his life and died in his bedroom. The house was also used to accommodate travelling preachers and their families.

The household servants also lived on the premises. The house continued to be used for travelling preachers after Wesley's death until it was turned into a museum in the 1900s.

In the dining room his Chamber Horse is set up which he used for exercise and on display in the study is his electric machine which was used for the treatment of illness.

Exterior

At the front of Wesley's House is a small physic garden which contains herbs mentioned in Wesley's book, The Primitive Physic. It details ways in which common people could cure themselves using natural medicines as they couldn't afford a doctor. Wesley set up the first free dispensary in London giving out medical advice and remedies at his Foundery chapel.

John Wesley's (1703-1791) grave is in the garden at the rear of the chapel alongside the graves of six of his preachers and those of his sister Martha Wesley (1706-1791) and his physician and biographer, Dr. John Whitehead (1740-1804).

A bronze statue of Wesley with the inscription "the world is my parish" stands at the entrance to the courtyard; created in 1891 by John Adams-Acton (1830-1910), the sculpture is Grade II listed. Elijah Hoole (1798-1872) was responsible for the 10 foot high granite pedestal on which the statue stands.

Museum

The Museum of Methodism, housed in the chapel's crypt, contains artefacts and relics relating to Methodism, including several of Wesley's speeches and essays on theology, the "warmed heart" "contemplative space", Thomas Coke's (1747-1814) writing slope or desk and Donald Soper's (1903-1998) portable preaching stand.

The museum was created in 1978 and was refurbished in 2014, with the last case being installed in early 2016 thanks to a generous donation.

Today

Wesley Chapel is in operation with daily prayer, Sunday Holy Communion services, and various others on weekdays. It's known for it's relatively high church sacramental liturgy and the superintendent minister is Canon Jennifer Smith.

Wesley's Chapel is in an partnership with the Anglican St Giles' Cripplegate parish church, Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Church, and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.

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