Worship, Social Gatherings and the ‘More-than-Wesleyan’: The Multiple Uses and Congregational Experiences of London’s Wesleyan Methodist Chapels (1851–1932)

Using two geographically contrasting case studies, this paper explores the multiple ways in which London's purpose-built Wesleyan chapels were used between the 1851 religious census and the reunification of the Methodist Church in 1932. Specifically focusing on chapels in the Bow and Highgate areas of London, it explores how the uses of these spaces varied over time and space, highlighting similarities and differences between urban and suburban Wesleyanism. Identifying three categories of chapel use associated with worship, social gatherings, and more-than-Wesleyan uses, it traces the practices, people and objects connected to these different uses and argues that they can provide insights into historical congregational experiences. As such, this paper makes a rare historical contribution to broader discussions within current geographical studies of religion about individuals' everyday experiences of religion, faith, and spirituality