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Wesleyan Reformers Mission,
Darley Bridge,
Wensley, 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 by 1851, though it is now closed, but we don't yet know when.

The return to the Religious Census of 1851 (HO 129/449/2/6/16) describes a meeting place for "Wesleyan Methodist Reformers" in a Dwelling House, at Darley Bridge. The building was erected "before 1800" though presumably this refers to the age of the dwelling, rather than providing a date of foundation of its congregation. It had free seating for 40, and an estimated congregation on March 30th of 35 at evening service, compared with an average of 30, at morning service. The return was completed by Thos. Yeomans, who described himself as "Class Leader", and a Farmer, of "Warren Carr, Near Wensley, Derbyshire".

It is not known what happened to this meeting - perhaps its members joined the Wesleyan Reformers who were meeting in a "Room" in Snitterton (HO 129/449/2/6/15) to worship in the newly built "neat brick chapel on Oker side", which (according to White's Directory of 1857), was to be built that year.

As it is now impossible to know where the Dwelling House was situated, the Grid Reference indicated below indicates the "centre" of Darley Bridge", also known as "Bridge-Town". This was the point where the Nottingham to Newhaven turnpike, which passed through Snitterton, met the "Toadhole Turnpike" from Chesterfield, which crossed the river from the north. This was before the present A6 was built north of the river - a route which had been impossible before the Derwent Reservoirs were built in the early 1900s, as the land was subject to flooding.

Denomination

Now or formerly Wesleyan Reform.

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 SK2683461540. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Wesleyan Reformers Mission, Wensley shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Wensley 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)