West Bay Methodist Church

The West Bay Methodist Chapel in 2008.

West Bay Methodist Church is a former Methodist chapel at West Bay, West Dorset, England. Opened in 1849, the chapel was locally known as "the chapel on the beach". It closed in 2007 and was transformed into the West Bay Discovery Centre in 2018. The former chapel has been Grade II listed since 1975.[1]

## History[edit]

Prior to the construction of the church, the West Bay Wesleyan Society, which had formed in 1828, held services and meeting at a local dwelling.[2] As the congregation grew, a Methodist church was built in 1849 by Messrs John Cox and Son,[1] close to West Bay harbour and Chesil Beach. It opened on 4 December 1849 and continued to serve the local community until May 2007, with the exception of a period of closure during World War II.[3][4]

Following the chapel's disuse, West Dorset District Council later sold the chapel to the Bridport Area Development Trust for £1 in 2012.[2] Plans were then created for its conversion into a visitor centre, with planning permission being sought and granted in 2015.[5] Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund was received in 2017 and the restoration and alteration work was carried out in 2018 by R&C Building Conservation of Shaftesbury.[6][7] The West Bay Discovery Centre opened in August 2018.[8]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "METHODIST CHURCH, Bridport - 1228760". Historic England. 19 September 1975. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
2. ^ a b "West Bay Chapel | Bridport Area Development Trust". Bridportadt.org.uk. 6 April 1947. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
3. ^ "The regeneration game | Dorset Life - The Dorset Magazine". Dorset Life. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
4. ^ Rene Gerryts. "Rethink on future of methodist chapel". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
5. ^ "Planning Application Details". Webapps.westdorset-weymouth.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
6. ^ "Contractor appointed as work to transform church into discovery centre gets underway | Bridport and Lyme Regis News". Bridportnews.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
7. ^ "Huge progress made as work on former West Bay Methodist Church nears completion | Bridport and Lyme Regis News". Bridportnews.co.uk. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
8. ^ "About West Bay - Bridport & West Bay". Bridportandwestbay.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2018.

## External links[edit]

* West Bay Discovery Centre website

50°50′42″N 2°50′01″W﻿ / ﻿50.8449°N 2.8336°W﻿ / 50.8449; -2.8336