Methodist New Connexion Chapel

On the face of it this is not the most picturesque view in Chester but I find it fascinating because of the detail revealed on the side of the building.

The picture was taken on Pepper Street where a building has just been demolished revealing the side of the old Methodist New Connexion chapel. The chapel was opened in 1835 and closed just after the First World War when the building was sold. It was then hidden for many years inside a garage which occupied the chapel and a newer building next door. I remember for many years it was the showroom for Quicks car company in Chester and it was only in 1984 that the old frontage was rediscovered when the garage closed and the building converted.

From the mid 1980s the building was occupied by Habitat but in recent years it has been empty. The area is once again being developed with plans for the area to become a food quarter (we reckon that makes about six “quarters” in Chester now). As part of this re-development the building next to the chapel has been demolished and this has revealed the side of the building that had previously been hidden.

Although the front of the building is covered in scaffolding you can see the detail on the side near the road and a plaque on the top of the building shows the year 1835. It will be interesting to see how the chapel is incorporated into the new development