Longwood Wesleyan Methodist Church
The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available. Please feel free to add or update with any additional information. |
Methodism is said to have been introduced to Longwood by an inhabitant who brought in a Methodist preacher to talk to the crowd gathered at Longwood Feast instead of providing a bull for bull baiting as he was expected to do. This event led to some people in Longwood holding Methodist meetings in their homes and forming a Sunday School which met in a cottage in Lamb Hall Road.
In 1987 a Methodist chapel was built on land given by John Broadbent of Snow Lea, who had attended the Methodist services at Lindley. John Broadbent did not live to see the chapel finished as he died that same year, soon after the foundation stone of the chapel was laid. This original chapel was situated between Lamb Hall Road and Gilead Road. John Broadbent's son, John, became class leader at the new chapel and superintendant of its Sunday School.
In 1904 a new chapel was built on the opposite side of Lamb Hall Road to the old building. This chapel remained open until 1977, when it closed due to declining membership and the difficulty of maintaining the premises. Most of the church members attended Lindley Methodist Church after Longwood was closed.
These records are held at WYAS Kirklees, collection reference KC605. Other records are under collection reference NM/L.