Default Image Place of Worship has been
Demolished.
Image by courtesy of
openclipart.org

Central ("Middle") Methodist Church (Demolished),
Belper Road (north side),
Stanley Common, Derbyshire.

Cemeteries

We believe the Church did NOT have a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1835, but we understand it was closed in 1966.

This was one of two Methodist Chapels on Stanley Common. It is shown on OS Maps, for instance OS 1901 1:10,560 situated next to a long straight path pointing north, today called "Rope Walk". Further east there was a Brick Works, by then marked as unused. Evidence of latter is retained in the modern street name of "The Brickyard". OS 1881 1:2,500 records it as Wesleyan Methodist, so presumably this was the Central Methodist Chapel referred to in Derbyshire Record Office's Non-Conformist Register Guide as Wesleyan Methodist, rebuilt in 1886, and closed in 1966.

The website of WSSM Churches Together - the Covenant Churches of West Hallam, Stanley, Stanley Common and Mapperley records it as the first be built at Stanley Common - "situated just to the west of the Ropewalk... opened in 1835, was rebuilt in 1866 and closed in 1966". Their account refers to it as "Middle Chapel", as distinct from "Bottom Chapel" (Primitive Methodist), and "Top Chapel", situated near the boundary of Stanley Common and Smalley Common (at the extreme west of the village).

The return to the Religious Census of 1851 (HO 129/444/5/7/19) confirms that "Stanley Common Chapel" was built in 1835 for a Wesleyan Methodist congregation as a separate building, used exclusively as a place of worship. It had free seating for 112, and 36 "other" sittings, and the estimated congregation on March 30th was 45 at afternoon service. The return was completed by Robert Baxhill, who described himself as "Leader & Trustee", and who lived at Stanley Common.

The building has now been demolished, and the plot where it stood is occupied by 2 modern houses. In fact the whole surrounding area appears to be taken up with housing of varying ages. Some of it is likewise new, but some has the appearance of dating back to the late 19th century - possibly occupied by workers in the Brick Works!

The next landmark along the road (A609) in a (south) easterly direction is the Bateman Arms public house, which still standing.

Denomination

Now or formerly Wesleyan Methodist.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church was located at OS grid reference SK4173142179. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Central ("Middle") Methodist Church (Demolished), Stanley Common shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Stanley Common shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Stanley Common, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Situated between Derby and Nottingham, and to the west of Ilkeston ~ the group of Covenant Churches of West Hallam, Stanley, Stanley Common and Mapperley (null) (verified 2018-10-09)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.