Ovington Wesleyan Methodist chapel

The former Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Ovington , Northumberland,  in 2022 is in residential use.  It still carries the dates for its opening in 1861.  It has the same footprint as on the 1895 Ordnance Survey map, save for an extension to the rear.

The chapel is not listed in the 1812 list of Methodist chapels, although there are societies in Hexham (1790) and Prudhoe (1770)

The chapel crops up in later statistical returns.  The 1873 Wesleyan Methodist statistical return tell us that Ovington was one of 11 chapels in the Hexham circuit that was “Connexionally settled” i.e. legally belonging to the Wesleyan Methodist church as opposed to being rented or loaned.  It was the sixth largest, holding 157 people: the largest was Hexham which held 600 and the smallest was Wall which held  60. There was also a small chapel in Ovingham.

Wesleyan, Primitive and United Methodist branches came together to form the current Methodist church in 1932.  By 1940 they had published statistical returns including  a comprehensive list of all Methodist buildings  (as at 1st July 1940) which  includes Ovington Wesleyan Methodist chapel, confirming that the chapel was still in use.  The report tells us that the chapel was stone built, held 120 people seated in pews and, in addition to the worship area, had a school room and two other rooms. The chapel was still in the Hexham circuit