Wesley Memorial Church
Central Oxford's Methodist church — the present Gothic Revival building was opened in 1878 by Charles Bell, on a street where John Wesley preached on 4 July 1783.
The plaque to look for isn’t on the church — it’s on what’s now 32 to 34 New Inn Hall Street, the part of Brasenose College that incorporates Oxford’s first Methodist meeting house, where Wesley preached on 4 July 1783.
Wesley Memorial is the Methodist church for central Oxford. The congregation was founded in 1783 — John and Charles Wesley had both studied in Oxford — and the present building was completed in 1878.
Three buildings on New Inn Hall Street
Oxford's first Methodist meeting house stood on the east side of New Inn Hall Street, in a building now numbered 32 to 34 and part of Brasenose College. A plaque commemorates the fact that John Wesley preached there on 4 July 1783.
A chapel designed by William Jenkins was opened further along New Inn Hall Street on 19 February 1818, and remained the congregation's home until the present church was completed in front of it in 1878.
The present building
The present Gothic Revival building was started in 1877 and opened in October 1878. The architect was Charles Bell, working in a revival of the Decorated Gothic. The contractor was Joshua Symm. The capitals of the columns, carved by Henry Frith of Gloucester, portray twelve different kinds of English plants — worth picking out next time you're inside.
Nearby
Within a few minutes' walk
