Boscastle Methodist Church

Methodist Church. Built circa 1825, with alterations in the early 20th century. The church was patronized by John Rosevear, a local merchant. The building is constructed of roughly coursed and squared slate stone rubble, with yellow brick dressings, and has a scantle slate roof with gable ends, a central pediment, and a pyramid roof to the tower. Originally a rectangular building with a rear wing likely used as a schoolroom, a corner staircase and entrance tower were added to the front right side around 1904, likely alongside alterations to the rear wing.

The original front elevation originally featured a two-window front and a hipped slate roof. Around 1904, the two-storey tower was added, and the roof of the original range was remodelled with gable ends and a central pediment. The front now has a 2:1 window arrangement; the main range has two tall windows with round arched openings and intersecting glazing bars. An oculus is set into the central pediment, framed with brick and terracotta dressings including a datestone reading ‘Methodist Church 1825’. The square two-storey tower to the right features brick quoins and round brick arched openings, with an entrance on the left and intersecting glazing bars to the ground and first floor openings. An earlier arched opening is visible to the right of the original range, with two early 19th-century windows above, featuring intersecting glazing bars. The two-storey rear wing is of stone rubble with brick dressings to the openings.

Inside, the church retains its original gallery and rostrum pulpit. A double stair led to the pulpit, though the right-hand side was removed when the choir area was altered.

Methodist services were initially held in a barn between 1784 and 1793, followed by a preaching room license in 1793 and the erection of the first chapel in 1801, also financed by John Rosevear. The present church was built between 1823 and 1825, further supported by Rosevear, a figure of controversy within the Camelford and Wadebridge Methodist circuit.

Datestones from other converted or demolished chapels from Boscastle and Treworld have been re-used on the Methodist church tower. These include the foundation stone from the Wesleyan Ebenezer chapel of 1837 (now the Post Office), the datestone from the Bible Christian Siloam Chapel of 1859 (now a flat and garage), and the datestone from the Bible Christian Chapel at Treworld, dating to 1838. The Boscastle Methodist circuit was formed in 1803, the Bible Christian Mission in 1818 and the Treworld venture in 1821.