Ponsanooth Methodist Church 150th Anniversary Celebrations 1843 - 1993 A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CORNWALL DISTRICT 150 years in the life of a Methodist Church is a milestone. Some milestones are interesting in themselves, but their purpose is to mark where we are on a journey from somewhere to somewhere else. I give thanks for the journey of Ponsanooth Methodist Church thus far, and pray that God will bless you all in the journey onwards. EXTRACT FROM SOLOMON'S PRAYER AT THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. 'But can God indeed dwell on earth? Heaven itself, the highest Heaven, cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have built! Yet attend to the prayer and the supplication of thy servant, O Lord my God, listen to the cry and the prayer which thy servant utters this day, that thine eyes may ever be upon this house night and day, this place of which thou didst say, 'my name shall be there; so mayest thou hear thy servant when he prays towards this place. Hear the supplication of thy servant and of thy people when they pray towards this place. Hear thou in Heaven thy dwelling and, when thou hearest, forgive.' (1 Kings V1l1. 27-30.) 1993 is a very special year in the history of Ponsanooth Methodist Church. The building has been here for 150 years and the church even longer. This year then offers us the opportunity to look back for a short time and see how the church came to Ponsanooth. This is only a short sketch of its history but hopefully it will interest those who wish to know something about it. Perhaps at a later date a comprehensive account will be written. W.E.Walley. 5th May 1993. 1 2 View of village (original picture replaced) INTRODUCTION 'The village of Ponsanooth is situated about midway on the principal road leading from Falmouth to Redruth and near the most important mining districts of the county. A stream of water winds through its beautiful vale, putting into motion many powerful water wheels which work the various machinery connected with a large woollen manufactory, gunpowder mills, etc. in the village giving employment to the greater portion of the inhabitants. Embossed between lofty and abruptly rising hills, the village has a romantic and picturesque appearance. It lies on the skirts of three parishes and is distant about two miles from any parish church. The chapel stands on a considerable elevation on the side of a precipitous hill on the south side of the valley and commands a pleasing prospect of the neighbourhood, and also an extensive view of the Gwennap Copper Mines, two miles distant.' So wrote the biographer of John Martin not long after the chapel was built. John Wesley first came to Cornwall in 1743 and continued his visits until shortly before his death in 1791, and although he visited villages and towns nearby, there is no reference to any visit to Ponsanooth. People from the village would have gone to see and hear him, as he preached at Perranwell, Stithians, Penryn and Redruth. Big revivals took place at Redruth. Many certainly would have gone to Gwennap Pit. At this time Ponsanooth was at the centre of a number of populous hamlets, Laity Moor, Burnt House, Pelean Cross and Kennal Vale. There were 65 people living at Burnt House and about 70 at Pelean Cross (1841). Because of the industries in the village, Ponsanooth was a prosperous place employing highly skilled owners and managers who were associated with the Methodist Church. Industrialists all over the county felt at home with the Methodists. The occupations of the Trustees illustrates this point. Ponsanooth (1813) - 5 Yeomen, 2 Clothiers, 2 Gunpowder Manufacturers, 1 Mason, 1 Blacksmith. 3 Lanner (1828) - 12 Miners. Frogpool (1843) - 5 Miners, 2 Yeomen, 1 Mason, l Glazier. With men such as these the new chapel in Ponsanooth had to be on the grand scale. Fine granite front of Ponsanooth Methodist Church 4 MILESTONES IN ITS HISTORY PONSANOOTH METHODIST CHURCH 1743 John Wesley's first visit to Cornwall 1785 Methodist Society in Ponsanooth 1788 William Carvosso arrives in the village 1807 First chapel built - no seating 1808 Sunday School started ? 1813 Second chapel opened. Cemetery attached 1843 Third and present chapel opened 1856 Sunday School Treat - 450 buns bought 1867 Sweetland Organ installed 1867 Miss Lovey donor of organ and organist 1878 Board School opened 1881 Band of Hope formed 1882 Rostrum erected - 1885 - Vestries 1888 Heating apparatus installed 1890 Ponsanooth Brass Band in existence 1893 New Sunday School Building opened 1894 Old Cemetery extended 1896 Wesley Guild formed 1896 Morning Sunday School 1905 Mr.Thomas asked to keep fowls out of Cemetery 1914 Great War. 50 Members served - 7 died 1930 Electric light installed 1934 Chapel renovated - front flood lit 1939 Second World War - black out I94l New Cemetery opened 1977 Restoration with new roof 1981 New Organ installed (Pike's Hill) 1993 150th year CELEBRATIONS. 5 THE FIRST CHAPELS In 1783 there was a great religious revival in Redruth and within two years a Methodist Society had been established in Ponsanooth. This seems to have been a very weak group because at Christmas 1785 there were thirteen members with no leader and no meeting place. In 1788 William Carvosso, born at Mousehole in 1750, came to the village to take over a farm which was 'a mere desert' and on which people said he would starve. He found Ponsanooth to be 'like a dry and barren wilderness'. The Methodist Society he found there to be weak and destitute. He decided to improve matters and he said 'I took charge of the little class and went on for some years without seeing much good being done', a familiar tale especially today! Then two pious men came into the village and with their help a prayer meeting was commenced. The numbers increased and the meeting place became too small and the tenure uncertain so William Carvosso saw as his duty, 'to get a little chapel started before I die'. Eventually after great difficulty a site was found and by dint of hard work, begging and giving, the first chapel of rough workmanship and without seating was opened in 1807. The next six years saw great progress and so many attended the meetings that this chapel could not hold the congregations. It was decided therefore 'to pull down' this building and erect a much larger one in its place on the same site, and to attach a burial ground to it. The nearest burial ground was at least two miles away at Stithians, Perranwell or St.Gluvias. Also at this time those not baptised in the established church had difficulty with burials in its cemeteries. On 13th April 1813 a report in the Cornish Guardian reads 'a new Methodist Chapel was opened on Sunday night at Ponsanooth, near Penryn, with a sermon by that distinguished metaphysical writer Mr. Samuel Drew of St.Austell'. 6 THE PRESENT BUILDING The present building is the third on the site and on the 16th March 1843 the foundation stone was laid with due ceremony, witnessed by William Jewell who mentions it in his diary. He was a local preacher, class leader and held various offices. The foundation stone was not inscribed and cannot now be seen. The architect was John Trevena, the local carpenter and builder and parts of his original plans are still in existence. The village business men were out to impress people far and near and the outcome was the present magnificent structure. The dimensions are 60ft by 49ft and the height is 27ft.6ins, built as a rectangular hall with a curved extension for the orchestra and choir. The seats were without backs or ends, but these were added later. There was no heating and candles were the only form of lighting. The iron pillars supporting the gallery were cast at the iron foundry at Perranwharf. The ceiling rosette is of interest and a rose window, behind the rostrum is most interesting. A special feature of the building is the gallery which is in the form of a regular ellipse and by all accounts quite rare, the seats are arranged to follow the curve of the ellipse. The official opening took place on the 16th November 1843 although it was possible to hold a service in the unfinished building in October. The fine ashlar granite front is massive, the stone having come from the quarries in the locality. The cost of the building was £1300. Frogpool, built in the same year cost £500 and Devoran £750. It seated well over 600 people at the time of opening. There was large debt involved and the money was raised by issuing bonds. Even in 1860 the debt was £1050 and this when farm workers' wages were two shillings (10p) per day. In 1867 the back wall of the orchestra was demolished and an extension was built to accommodate the new organ and this extension cost nearly £200. In 1882 the old box pulpit was removed and a rostrum erected using the old curved pulpit staircase as the means of access, hence only one staircase when usually in most chapels there are two. 7 The traditional leader's box pew had to be removed and a communion rail was provided. The specification stated that the rail had to be constructed of birch wood as birch wood has a fine grain and gives a very smooth surface. Three years later the front side pews were removed and the two vestries of glass and wood were erected.