Castle Methodist Church, Maidenburgh Street
- Andrew Mowbray
- May 23
- 1 min read
The first Methodist Church in Colchester was built in 1759 on this site. It was an octagonal building known as the Great Round Meeting House. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism preached here then and visited it a lot up to 1790.
Congregations waxed and waned during the late 18th C and there were lots of schisms, splits and arguments among non-conformists in 18th and 19th Cs leading to many different splinter churches being formed in the town.
Methodists were not popular and in the 18th century, the Rector of St Peter's opposed them and tried to steal their congregation. He stopped after Wesley accused him of "sheep stealing”. Methodism gained in popularity and moved to a new building in Culver Street in 1836 so the building here was demolished.
The Culver Street building was demolished when the Red Lion Shopping Centre was built in the 1970s and in 1970 the Methodists returned here and build their current church on the same site as their original one.
There is a plaque here to John Wesley on the front wall of the church and the pulpit used by him is on display inside the Church.
