Rough Close Methodist New Connexion chapel was part of the Longton MNC circuit, though it is located outside the boundary of what is now the City of Stoke on Trent.
Worship had taken place in a cottage from 1814 but in 1874 work commenced on a new chapel. It was due for completion by Christmas but delay meant that completion was in March 1875, with the opening on 4 April 1875. The church sat 150 in this tiny village, but gathered worshippers from surrounding villages.
The adjacent school room was built in 1906.
The impressive style of the building is reflected in the account of the then Bishop of Stafford inadvertently arriving at the chapel mistaking it for the parish church- only to retreat in haste when he saw the Methodist New Connexion hymn book.
The church closed on the 1980’s and both chapel and school room are now domestic dwellings.
The attached postcard was taken by local photographer W Blake himself a part of the Dresden community (a part of Longton) which had a liberal/New Comnexion culture.
Rough Close Methodist New Connexion Chapel, Staffordshire.
W. Blake
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I have recently purchased a holy bible dedicated to Edmund Rushton with a message from the teachers of the schools in connection with the above place of worship ( picture of Rough close Chapel) dated December 3rd 1888. The Bible is from the British and foreign Bible society from 1804. I was just researching and thought it would be nice to drop you a line. Found in a charity shop, I will cherish as this was a huge part of Edmunds life.
The Bishop of Stafford was right to be impressed, as the architect was Richard Charles Sutton (1834-1915). Based in Nottingham, he was first jointly reponsible for the Kilham Memorial MNC chapel in Epworth, and then designed a series of important MNC and UMFC chapels in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
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