Introducing John Wesley’s Lights Camera New Staff Page 3 ......The design and installation of the museum is being dealt with under a separate contract – this time with a Bristol

The HorsefairProject UpdatePage 3

John Wesley’sPolitical ManifestoPage 8

IntroducingNew StaffPage 5

Lights ... Camera… EducationPage 16

Page 2 John Wesley’s Chapel/The New Room : magazine Spring 2016

Introducingthe Magazine

Welcome to our new-look magazine!We hope you will enjoy catching up with our latest news.

CONTENTS

Horsefair Project Update 3

New Deputy Warden Mike Rose 4

Meet the Community Engagement Officer 5

The work begins 6

John Wesley’s Political Manifesto 8

The 18th Century - the world of the Wesleys 12

The Manager’s Report 13

Lights … Camera …Education 16

‘Holy Habits’ evening and other events 18

Life as a Steward 19

The 250th birthday of Samuel Wesley 20

Treasure in the Library 21

Acknowledgements and information 23

We would like to thank Rev.Phillip Hewett who has editedthe New Room’s newsletter forthe last five years and who hasdone a great job! As he passeson the role to our new editorialteam, we would like to thankPhil for all his hard work andpatience. Phil will continue towrite articles for futuremagazines.

John Wesley’s Chapel/The New Room : magazine : Spring 2016 page 3

The main contract forthe new building was awarded toBeard Construction Ltd, based inSwindon and Bristol. The contracthas a value of a little over £2million. Work was originally due tostart in November, but unfortunatelydelays in isolating the gas mainrunning beneath the middle of thesite meant a proper start didn’t takeplace until 4 January. Theanticipated completion date is nowthe end of February 2017.

Site clearance has been completed.Work has just started on piling andfoundations, unfortunately one ofthe noisiest and dirtiest parts of theprogramme!

The contractor has based himself inOld King Street Court and intendsall deliveries and removals to takeplace through the Horsefair arch.The intention is to create theminimum possible disruption in thechapel itself, and hopefully, anytemporary closures can be avoidedor kept to a minimum.

One recent difficulty we have had todeal with was an unanticipated lossof heating on the top floor (causedby an inadequate pump), and wemust apologize to those hardystewards who have braved sitting ina cold room. At the time of writing,we hope this issue will be resolvedby the end of February.

A series of administrative issues stillhave to be progressed andcompleted. These includecompliance with outstandingplanning conditions and rights to

light contracts. We are currentlyexpecting to keep on top of theseessential matters.

Café and visitorfacilitiesWe are now looking at the detail ofa number of finishing items, e.g. thecafé, kitchen and shop where theambience and presentation of theseareas will be crucial to theattractiveness to visitors, and henceto the success of the whole project.We are still open to any ideas fromstewards on how to finalize thesedetails, and in particular, how thecafé should look and operate. Weare also starting to finalize suchmatters as the layout and furnishingof the library, education room andoffices, and the most effectivelydata and wi-fi facilities.

MuseumThe design and installation of themuseum is being dealt with under aseparate contract – this time with aBristol based company called “CodSteaks Ltd” . Each of the 12preachers’ rooms will present adifferent aspect of the Wesleys andsome exciting and innovative ideasare already emerging. Gary Best,our Warden, is the main “scriptwriter”, and the Cod Steaks designteam will then interpret how topresent this story in the mosteffective way. Mandy Briggs, ourEducation Officer, has beenworking with them in a number of

workshops with schools to gaugetheir reaction to our initial ideas.This has given us invaluable feed-back.

Looking forwardThe museum installation is plannedfor the period November ‘16 –March ’17, which means the currentmuseum will have to close in theAutumn. Our current plans are toopen the whole new premisesaround Easter 2017, with a formalopening in early Summer.

Horsefair Project Updateby Mike Rose,Deputy Warden

The New Room now has twoDeputy Wardens —bothcalled ‘Mike’!

Both are regularly on thepremises, and the future ofthe Horsefair Project isassured because of theirdedication alongside themanagement team.Many thanks, Mike!

At long last, building work in the Horsefair Courtyard has started and it is becoming very evident!


Mike Culshaw explainedhis specific roles in the Autumnmagazine, I am the other Mike.

I also officially became a DeputyWarden and a Trustee in September2014. I am a member of the BristolDistrict Policy Committee andworship at Nailsea Church (where ofcourse I knew Mandy Briggs in herprevious role).

I first became associated with theNew Room in 2012 when (in amoment of foolhardiness!) Imentioned to Ward Jones that I hadsome experience in propertydevelopment and projectmanagement, and did the Trusteesneed any helpful advice with theirproposed new development?! I wasapproaching retirement, havingworked for many years in Bristol as aChartered Surveyor. It wasn’t verylong before I was invited to join theexisting team.

My principal role at the New Room isas Project Co-ordinator for theHorsefair Project. This includes allaspects of design, planning andbuilding, but also more esotericmatters such as Right to Lightanalysis, drainage easements andParty Wall Awards. Developing insuch a confined site, and alongside aGrade 1 listed building brings manyquite difficult, but fascinatingproblems to overcome. So far ourteam of (mainly) volunteers,supported by our paid professionaladvisors are just about keeping ontop of things. We pray this willcontinue until the end of the project!

The Horsefair Project, of course, isnot just about bricks and mortar.Inspired by the dreams of ourmanagement group, and promptedby the Heritage Lottery Fundmentors, the Project Team has alsospent many hours devising andpolishing our ideas for what willactually happen in the new premises.Lots of exciting ideas are starting toemerge – the new museum, theeducation facilities, the ability toreach out to a much wider audience,more scope for activities in theChapel itself – are all taking up muchtime and thought.We are also very much aware thatthe HLF grant actually covers a 5year timescale, and we have tojustify a 5 year business plan whichshows the New Room becomingfinancially independent by 2020.

All in all, this is quite enough to keepme busy for some time yet, and I amstill trying to find time to meet andtalk to many of our stewards. We willalmost certainly be looking for morehelp from individual stewards withspecific skills and enthusiasms overthe next 12 months.Watch this space!

More about Mike Rose

The Horsefair Project is the most ambitious building project at the New Room since1748 when the chapel was enlarged. Other developments over the years haveincluded the restoration of the New Room in 1929, the opening of the HorsefairCourtyard in the 1930s and the transformation of the Broadmead Courtyard into anattractive garden and seating area in 2011.


As I start writing my first everfeature for the New Roommagazine, I do so after havingmade a cup of tea and in theprocess meeting with David(Weeks) in the kitchen. Afterasking David what he was workingon in the library I gratefully receiveda mini potted history of someaspects of Methodist history withregards to the Primitive Methodists,United Methodists and theconstruction of the Ebenezerchapel next to the New Room.

What keeps on surprising me as Idevelop my knowledge andunderstanding of the history andstory of Methodism and the NewRoom is that it is not only afascinating narrative on faith, belief,equality, education and justice but itis also a narrative on strongpersonal conviction, human natureand how as human beings we allinterpret things differently. It is astory of individuals going againstthe status quo and advocating forwhat they believe in.

All these narrative strands makethe New Room a universal storywhere one does not necessarilyhave to be a Methodist, Christian orperson of faith to understand,appreciate and have a connectionwith. It is these universal themeswhich I will be exploring withdifferent community groups andwhich will act as our olive branch tocommunities who might not thinkthe New Room is a space or story

for them. It is my role to go out todifferent communities in Bristol andshare the fact we have this brilliantstory and the fact we have a living,ongoing story.

My chat with David is alsodemonstrative of one of the things Ihave really enjoyed in my first sixweeks at the New Room - meetingeveryone in the New Roomcommunity. Everyone has afascinating story, vast knowledgeand a passion and commitment tothe New Room which is reflected inthe way people generouslycontribute their time, energy andefforts. I am really looking forwardto working closely with theStewards as I eventually take overthe momentous task of organisingthe Stewards rota from Constance,who has been doing an outstandingjob for a very long time.

Another thing that has also made astrong impression on me is that itdoesn’t take long for people toenter the New Room and remarkhow special, atmospheric andunique the space is. My aim is toencourage many more people toenter our space and experiencethis. However, before people enterour space, I need to go out andbuild relationships with groups andorganisations so as to increaseawareness of who we are and tostart building bridges andrelationships and this is something Iwill concentrate on in the comingmonths.

My role is to tease out what needsgroups have to engage with us, is itthat they are striving to developnew skills and knowledge, or is itthat they want to gain confidencemeeting new people and being putin new environments? I will keepyou all posted with what I discoverin the coming months as I meetwith people and explore howpartnerships, relationships andbridges can be made. I havealready had some interestingdiscussions with Creative BristolYouth Network, Salaam Shalom,Barton Hill Settlement Trust andBristol City of Sanctuary.

For those who I haven’t met yet andwant to know a bit more about me -I am a born and bred Bristolian, butI have been living in Cardiff for thelast five years where I have beenworking at the Cardiff StoryMuseum as their CommunityCurator and later their Learning andOutreach Officer. Before this I wasat the SS Great Britain Trust astheir Project Officer and VolunteerCoordinator for a Heritage Lotteryfunded Oral History projectcelebrating the 40th anniversary ofthe return and salvage of the shipfrom the Falklands.

I am now in the process of movingback to Bristol and l am lookingforward to reacquainting myselfwith the city where I grew up, bygoing out and building relationshipswith its many diverse communities.

Meet the CommunityEngagement Officerby Lucie Connors


The work beginsGroundbreaking at The New Room

An expectant crowd gatheredin The New Room on November 10th 2015 towitness the formal ground breakingceremony, marking the start of work on theHorsefair Project.

The Chairman of the New Room Trustees,the Revd Ward Jones, led a short service ofdedication and commitment inside the chapelbefore leading those who had gathered outinto the courtyard. There, he and WardenGary Best used a spade to break the groundin a symbolic act to mark the beginning of thebuilding work. Both Ward and Gary told theassembled supporters that this new projectwould be significant for the Methodist Churchand for the city of Bristol.


and continues

The unpopular outside toilets inthe Broadmead Courtyard havebeen removed.

Firm foundations -concretepiles drilled deep into theground will support the newbuildings

The statue of Charles Wesleyhas been removed from thecourtyard and transported tosafe storage near Bath.

Charles will be restoredbefore returning to a moreprominent position in thevisitors’ centre in 2017.


I am very excited thatthe new Visitors’ Centre is nowunderway but the Horsefair Projectis, of course, about far more thanhaving a new building - it’s aboutreaching out to people andcommunicating why John andCharles Wesley were so importantand why John’s messages inparticular are still relevant today. Theappointment of our Education andOutreach Officer and our CommunityEngagement Officer are welcomesteps in that direction and they arealready beginning to make a bigdifference in what we currently doand are planning to do. Much of mytime at present is being spentdeveloping the new Museum andone of the things that has emergedvery quickly in recent weeks is justhow much Wesley can challengepeople’s political thinking.

John Wesley is often seen as eitherpaying no attention to politics orbeing very conservative. Neither ofthose views is really accurate. It istrue that Wesley did not look veryoften to Parliament to resolve theissue facing the nation but that waslargely because he was disappointedin the way it functioned. After hearingit debate he commented: ‘I hadfrequently heard that this was themost venerable assembly inEngland. But how was Idisappointed!’ Some of us watchingParliament today on television mightecho that! His reputation as aconservative largely stems from thefact he believed in the divine right ofkings and hated republicanism. Itwas one of the reasons why heopposed both the American War ofIndependence and the FrenchRevolution. However, Edmund

Gibson, the Bishop of London, wasshocked by what he saw asWesley’s attachment to ‘the rabble’,and throughout his life Wesleycampaigned for human rights in sucha way that one can easily see whythe early trade union movement andthe labour party owed so much toMethodism. There was more of theradical than the conservative inWesley.

In this and the next newsletter Ipropose to explore what might bedescribed as the ten main points inWesley’s Political Manifesto:

Part One

First - and foremost - reduce thegap between rich and poor

Wesley thought poverty ‘contractsand depresses the mind’ and he saidit was a disgrace that in such anaffluent country, abounding with ‘allthe necessities, the conveniences,

the superfluities of life’, there was somuch squalor and vice. He was notpopular among the upper classesbecause he constantly challengedtheir rich way of life: ‘In seekinghappiness from riches, you are onlystriving to drink out of empty cups.And let them be painted and gildedever so finely, they are empty still.’

Rather than involving himself inpolitical debates about what the stateshould be doing, he chose to makean appeal to individuals, whatevertheir personal circumstances, tosearch their conscience and to helpthe poor in the community wherethey lived. He was happy to endorsethe work of charities but hisemphasis was on the value ofpersonal giving and personal action.He refused in that process todistinguish between the ‘deserving’and the ‘undeserving’ poor -everyone was a child of God, eventhe ungrateful or the repulsive. Hesaid a person’s charitable giving

John Wesley’sPolitical Manifestoby Gary Martin Best, Warden


should - like the love of God - ‘soarabove all scanty bounds, embracingneighbours and strangers, friendsand enemies; yea, not only the goodand gentle, but also the forward, theevil, and the unthankful’.

Wesley saw the impact of theagricultural and industrial revolutionsand the emergence of a societybased increasingly on consumerism.All these created less concern for thewelfare of individuals and placedinstead an emphasis on profit andclass and fashion. He attacked theagricultural monopolies thatartificially kept food prices highbecause he knew workers’ wageswere not keeping pace with foodcosts. He thought the price of meatcould be cut by developing betterbreeds of cattle and sheep, the priceof oats reduced by banning thenobility’s excessive keeping ofhorses (which consumed the grainrequired by the poor), and the priceof wheat lowered by banning its usein distilling. He urged the rich to stop‘the amazing waste’ allowed in theirkitchens.

He advocated increasing taxes onluxury goods and making significantcuts in military and naval expenditureso the government could both cuttaxes and divert money to domesticneeds.

Wesley wanted a society that wasprimarily based on upholding values.He constantly stressed theimportance of responsibility andfairness in a society he saw cursedby the lust for money, and hedespised consumerism, especially

that which was related to expensivefashion.

He placed his emphasis on livingsimply and being ‘content with whatplain nature requires’. In all of this heset his followers a personal example,saying:

‘What is money to me? Dung anddross’ and refusing to waste moneyon wearing a fashionable wig.’

When his income was £30 per yearhe lived on £28 and gave away £2.When, largely through the sale of hisbooks, he had £60 per year he gaveaway £32. Even when he had £120per year he retained only £28 for hispersonal use.

2. Seek to ensure fullemployment and discourageidleness

The so-called Protestant work ethichas become unpopular in an agewhen people place more emphasison rights rather than duties, onleisure rather than responsibility, onwhat the state and society should dofor us rather than what we should dofor others. But Wesley understoodthat we add worth to our lives bybeing doers and not just takers. Hethought rich and poor alike should becontributors to society. One aspectof that was having a job to dothroughout your working life. Henever criticised the labouring classesfor their idleness or indiscipline, buthe did focus on what we would termtoday the dignity of work: ‘It isimpossible for an idle man to be agood man…. Without industry we arefit neither for this world nor the worldto come’.

For that reason providing workopportunities was high on Wesley’sagenda. On a number of occasionshe wrote in his journal of raisingmoney to employ people and he setup a scheme to lend people money ifthey had ideas on how to create anew business.

For example, James Leckington wasjust a cobbler when he borrowed £5from Wesley to start a bookshop andhe ended up running the largestsecond-hand one in London with anannual profit of £5,000. Wesley

believed it was the right of everyperson to add worth to their lives bybeing a doer and not just a taker. Inthis context he told his followers: ‘Beactive, be diligent, avoid all laziness,sloth, indolence…. Never leaveanything till tomorrow which you cando today’. Wesley’s definition ofemployment extended beyond whatyou did to earn a living. It alsoincluded an expectation thateveryone would make a regularcontribution to helping others whowere less fortunate. One of thequestions he asked his followers torepeatedly ask themselves was:‘Have I embraced every probableopportunity of doing good, andpreventing, removing, or lesseningevil?’

One witness of the community workundertaken by the early Methodistswrote this:‘Mr. Wesley’s people think that theycannot love their neighbour asthemselves without endeavouring tofind out every possible way by whichthey may be serviceable to the soulsand bodies of their fellow-creatures.In London and Bristol, and I believein other places, some of theirsociety…. endeavour to find outpoor, distressed objects who areconfined to their beds by diseases inpoorhouses, prisons, lodging-houses, dirty lanes, alleys,etc.These poor, forsaken outcasts ofsociety they instruct, exhort, praywith, etc. To objects most in wantthey give money. Perhaps therecannot be any labour of love morepraiseworthy, or more deserving ofencouragement, as great numbers ofsuch poor, destitute wretches may atall times be found languishing in aforlorn state, and generally diewithout anyone caring for them: fornone but such as are filled with thelove of God and man will ever go intosuch places and habitations…. Ihave witnessed their cheerful


performance of this great duty….No labour, however disagreeableor hazardous to health or life, is toomuch to be performed by such asare thoroughly impressed with theworth of an immortal soul…. Thosepeople, when employed in suchwork as this, which to flesh andblood is not only irksome butshocking, yet would not haveexchanged the pleasure whichthey found in it for any earthlyenjoyment’.

3. Introduce a living wage

Wesley was horrified that thosewho were in work were often notpaid enough to feed themselves ortheir families properly: ‘How manyare there in this Christian countrythat toil, and labor, and sweat…but struggle with weariness andhunger together? Is it not worse forone, after a hard days labor, tocome back to a poor, cold, dirty,uncomfortable lodging, and to findthere not even the food which isneedful to repair his wastedstrength?’

4. Offer everyone of everyage the best possibleeducation

In many ways Wesley was first andforemost a teacher . Education wasthe means by which individualsand society could become better. Itwas not about creating a betterworkforce or ensuring everyonewent to university or education foreducation’s sake. It was aboutcreating a mindset: ‘The end ofeducation….[is to] help us discoverevery false judgement of ourminds, and to subdue every wrongpassion in our hearts… [and] tounderstand as much as we areable .’

He advised parents on how best toeducate their children. He createdschools and, in the case ofKingswood School, designed itscurriculum, wrote its textbooks, andselected its teachers. He believedin high academic standardsbecause he thought each childdeserved the best, but he also toldhis teachers that there was more toeducation than books: they were

never to forget that ‘an ounce oflove is worth a pound ofknowledge’ and never to forget thateducation was about acquiringwisdom not information. First andforemost, Wesley understood thateducation is a life-long processand he spent much of his lifepromoting various forms of adulteducation. His many books (ofwhich his sermons are just a tinypart!) were part of that process. Itis probably fair to say that nopolitical party today has anythinglike his emphasis on theimportance of adult education.

Wesley said: ‘I continue todream… [of the time when thepotential of] each person can beunleashed.’ The education hepromoted through his writings hassome key characteristics:a questioning approach whichsearches for the real truth and notjust what may be socially,politically, or culturally acceptable;

the affirmation of wisdom andhumility as valid objectives of theeducational experience;

an appreciation of the importanceof forgiveness, reconciliation, andrenewal;

a passion for justice combined withindignation at prejudice andintolerance in whatever form thattakes;

a recognition of the importance ofself-knowledge and self-esteem,combined with an equalunderstanding of the importance ofcommunity;

an understanding of the concept ofservice;

a refusal to accept that things haveto be the way they are.

None of these are measurable bythe league tables and constanttypes of assessment favouredtoday. It would be good if some ofour political parties took a morevalue-driven approach to theireducational manifestoes, ratherthan paying lip-service to this byoccasional talk of encouragingpeople to be ‘good citizens’.


The second part of thisarticle will feature in thenext Newsletter.

It will cover theremaining five points inWesley’s politicalmanifesto: promotingequal treatment forwomen, ending all formsof enslavement, avoidingwar, promoting a worldview, and caring for theenvironment.

The Warden is writing afull history of the NewRoom which willinclude many storiesand little-known factsabout the earlyMethodists who sharedJohn Wesley’s mission.

5. Encourage tolerance

Religious intolerance has been thecause of many horrible acts andterrible wars over the centuries - andit still is. The more secular-mindedsometimes choose to forget that thesame is true of political intolerance -witness, for example, what was and isdone in the name of fascism orcommunism. There is also what mightbe termed a social intolerance thatclassifies certain people asundesirable. Wesley spent much ofhis time asking people to show morereligious tolerance (especiallytowards the Catholics) , more politicaltolerance (especially towards thecolonies and during electioncampaigns), and more socialtolerance (towards the poor andespecially towards those in debt andin prison). He also campaignedconstantly against the intolerancethat arises from prejudice.

In promoting such tolerance, hespoke from personal experience of

the evils of intolerance. He knew whatit was like to be on the receiving endof other people’s hate because hehad been regularly vilified in the pressand faced the mob on an almost dailybasis for many years. However, thetolerance that Wesley wanted is notthat which says all views and beliefsare of equal worth.

It is also not the tolerance that letspeople get away with saying anddoing things that are wrong. Wesleywas very outspoken about views andbeliefs that he thought were incorrectand to the things that he thoughtcaused suffering and pain, such asgreed and selfishness. He frequentlyexpressed his contempt for thosewho promoted the wrong values andled people astray and, among hiscontemporaries, he had a reputationfor speaking his mind, often quitebluntly. He told his followers tosimilarly ‘speak everything that is inyour heart without exception, withoutdisguise, and without reserve’.Many society members lost theirmembership for not believing the rightthings or not living up to what heexpected of them!

The tolerance Wesley wanted istherefore best expressed in a remarkhe made about Christians beingtolerant towards other Christians whodid not share their views: ‘Althoughevery man necessarily believes thatevery particular opinion that he holdsis true, yet no man can be assured

that all his opinions taken togetherare true…. Every wise man …[onlyasks]: ‘Is thy heart right withGod?….Is thy faith filled with theenergy of love?…. Is thy heart righttoward thy neighbour?…’ If it be, giveme thy hand. I do not mean, ‘Be ofmy opinion’….I do not mean,‘Embrace my modes of worship’….Let these smaller points standaside….I mean….love me…as abrother in Christ’.

Elsewhere he said this moresuccinctly: ‘Though we cannot thinkalike, may we not love alike? May wenot be of one heart, though we arenot of one opinion?’

However much Wesley hated whatsome people believed or did, heknew it was important to remain inopen dialogue with them and to neverforget Christ’s call to show love toeveryone. He loudly declared thatabuse and violence and expressinghatred of a person run counter to thegospel of Christ and that ourrelationship with others - even ouropponents - should be marked by its‘gentleness, tenderness, sweetness,humanity, courtesy, and affability’. Ifwe disagree with another person’sbelief or behaviour that had to beexpressed with ‘tenderness of phraseand manner’ and only if ‘it wasnecessary to some particular good’.Because he was human, sometimeWesley failed to live up to this in hisdealings with certain individuals, but itremained his goal. He knew what abetter place the world would be ifeveryone attained a deep rootedtolerance that enabled them tosurmount any personal animosity andthe prejudices of their day whilstnever making them lose sight of thetruths that truly matter.


Population

The population of England almostdoubled, to 9 million, in the course ofthe century. This growth was in thelarger towns of the Midlands and theNorth. Bristol, which had beenBritain’s largest city after London,had a population of 68,000 by 1800.But it had been overtaken byLiverpool (77,000), Birmingham(73,000), and Manchester (70,000).Housebuilding did not keep up withthe growth in population and therewas massive over-crowding withmany families living in one room.Half the country lived at subsistencelevel. Many had trouble finding theirnext meal or a warm place to sleep.

Agriculture and Industry

Until the eighteenth century, mostpeople lived in the countryside andmade their living by farming.Farmers cultivated strips of landaround their village or kept animals

on common land. Owning land wasthe main source of wealth andpower.During the eighteenth centurythe pattern slowly changed.Traditional strip farming disappearedwith the enclosure of land, while newmethods of sowing and harvesting,and selective breeding, improvedproductivity.Following closely behind theagricultural changes, mining andmanufacturing became increasingsources of wealth. Britain led theworld in industrialisation, and theinnovations of British engineers suchas Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729),James Watt (1736-1819) andRichard Arkwright (1732-1792)brought steam engines and waterpower to drive factories in towns andcities throughout the land.

Transport

Few people travelled any distance.Few roads were paved orsignposted. In wet weather these

tracks became boggy andimpassable to wheeled vehicles.Horses were the most reliable formof transport.

From 1663, turnpikes were createdby Act of Parliament and, by the endof the 18th century, there was analmost complete national network ofroads, including milestones and signposts. These cut journey timesdramatically -a four day journey in1754 took a day in 1784.

Goods were generally transported byriver and sea. Canal building in thelatter part of the century had hardlybecome a national force whenrailways overtook them.

To be continued

The Eighteenth Century:The World of the Wesleys

by Phil Hewett

Part 1Introduction: England andthe Wesleys

The world of the Wesleysspans almost the whole of the 18thcentury. The background to theWesley’s mission and theevangelical revival lies in the story ofEngland in the eighteenth century.

This is a shortened version of aseries of talks given by the Wardenof the New Room, Gary Best, forStewards in 2015. This first partdeals with conditions in Englanditself.


It is now ten yearssince I became the manager of theNew Room. Following myappointment in November 2006, oneof the first actions I undertook was toproduce a mission statement. As I’vecome to learn, Methodists love ananniversary and so I thought it wouldbe an opportune time to reflect onthe words written then and look atthe progress we’ve made during thattime.

“To promote the New Room andCharles Wesley’s House as placesof historical and contemporarysignificance in the spiritual andsocial life of Bristol, the nationand the world.”

I’m constantly amazed that the workJohn Wesley began in Bristol in 1739has now grown to become a churchof 75 million members worldwide.There are many historic buildings inBristol but have any had the sameimpact on people’s spiritual andsocial life across the world as thislittle chapel in the Horsefair? Thereis a wonderful story to be told of thehistory of the New Room and themany men and women who’ve

faithfully served here, but how do weremain contemporary?I think one of the answers to thatquestion is opening our doors tovisitors six days a week all the yearround means that we have constantdialogue with people and engagewith them on their terms. In an agewhere the means of communicationallow us to have with a digitalinterface with anyone in the world,the opportunity to have aconversation with another humanbeing means that our listeningministry is greatly valued. Back in2010, as I began preparing my talk‘Methodism comes to America’, Iwent through our Visitor Books torecord the different places thatpeople had come from on theirjourney to the New Room. I was notonly surprised to find that all 50American states were representedover a 3 year period but that thenumber of other nations representedran to over 60! John’s quote ‘I lookupon all the world as my parish’seems so appropriate now, eventhough it was a very bold statementin 1739. As one reflects on what itmeans to be both historical andcontemporary, I’m reminded of thewords of the 19th century Americanabolitionist, Wendell Phillips, whowrote ‘the heritage of the past is theseed that brings forth the harvest ofthe future’. I hope the seeds we sowat the New Room today will bring agenerous harvest to the city ofBristol, the nation and the world.

“To tell the story of John andCharles Wesley so as to increasepeople’s understanding of theirrespective contributions and theirrelevance to thought, belief andaction today.”

One of the joys of being involved inthe life of the New Room is theopportunity to share with our visitorsthe enormous contribution both Johnand Charles Wesley made topeople’s lives that continues to have

an enduring legacy. Access toeducation and healthcare at the NewRoom was a vital part of themovement’s care and concern forpeople and taking a stand on issuessuch as slavery put John Wesley indirect conflict with many in thepolitical and commercial world.

Change came but it had to be foughtfor over many years. People werechallenged to think and reflect ontheir circumstances which led tobelief but, vital to the success of theMethodist movement, was action. Iwonder how often John Wesleyrecalled his encounter with a ‘seriousman’ who he travelled several milesto converse with during his time atWroot in 1728? In his journal, hewrites how the man asked him, ‘Sir,you wish to serve God and go toheaven? Remember you cannotserve him alone; you must thereforefind companions or make them; theBible knows nothing of solitaryreligion.’The New Room is, and must remain,a place where the ‘people of God’are engaged in action that either‘finds companions or makes them’.

“To develop the New Room as asustainable heritage attraction,educational resource, culturalvenue and community facility inthe heart of the city.”

The Manager’s Reportby David Worthington

Early in his time at The NewRoom: David with the BBC’s SallyChallenor in 2007


In respect of being a cultural venueand community facility, the list ofactivities and events that the NewRoom has hosted over the last 10years is impressive. It includesconcerts, recitals, ‘pop-up’ cinema,drama and theatrical performances,art and photography exhibitions,memorial services, political debates,talks by local groups andpersonalities and host for local andnational charities to raise awarenessof their work.

The New Room is the most visitedMethodist Heritage site in the UKwith over 25,000 visitors per annum.Our education programme has alsodeveloped substantially since MandyBriggs’ arrival as our full-timeEducation Officer. In addition to workwith schools, there are alsoestablished relationships with localcolleges and universities and we arerecognised as a hub for the Bristol &West Midlands Discipleship &Ministry Learning Network. LucieConnors’ recent appointmentprovides us with an opportunity forthe New Room to engage withcommunities across the city wherewe’ve not previously had a presence.

However, the key word thatunderpins this particular statement is‘sustainable’ as the New Room ischallenged by its funders to achievethis objective. We have alwaysstriven to be good stewards of ourfinancial resources and to balanceour activities with generating incomethat will allow the New Room tocontinue to be a facility in the heartof the city for many years to come.

“To offer (people passing throughthe centre of Bristol) opportunitiesfor reflection, challenge andspiritual encounter.”

As anyone who spends time at theNew Room knows, this is mostdefinitely a place of reflection,challenge and spiritual encounter.

Some visitors welcome theopportunity to come into this ‘oasis’of peace amongst the bustling retailenvironment for reflection. Othersare challenged by the stories weshare; the tremendous sense ofpurpose and vision that both Johnand Charles Wesley demonstrated intheir respective ministries. In termsof spiritual encounter, I recall onevisitor had written in our book how, ifyou were seeking a place to redefineyour faith in God, this was the placeto do it.I look forward to us extending the277 years’ service the New Roomhas already given as we continue tobe a place for spiritual encounter.

The two biggest projects at the NewRoom over the last 10 years havebeen the creation of the garden inthe Broadmead Courtyard in 2011and, now, the construction of thenew building in the HorsefairCourtyard, due to open in 2017.There has been much written aboutboth these two projects over the lastfive years but the idea that lies at theheart of both of them is aboutoffering welcome and hospitality toall.

Both projects have and will increasethe range of events and activitiesthat the New Room can host.The Gospel of Matthew encouragesus to be the ‘light of the world’; if thatlight is hidden, it is of no value.Instead, we are encouraged to makeit visible so that all may see and thisis what the New Room shouldcontinue to do.As referenced earlier in this article,one of John Wesley’s most well-known quotes comes from hisresponse to the Bishop of Bristol in

August 1739 when he waschallenged as to why he was in thecity with no commission to preach inthe diocese. He famously replied

‘I look upon all the world as myparish; thus far I mean, that, inwhatever part of it I am, I judge itmeet, right, and my bounden dutyto declare unto all that are willingto hear, the glad tidings ofsalvation.’

These words have been a greatencouragement to many over theyears although what John went on towrite in that same correspondence tothe Bishop has had an even moreprofound effect on me personally. Hewrote, ‘This is the work which I knowGod has called me to; and sure I amthat His blessings attend it.

‘Great encouragement have I,therefore, to be faithful in fulfilling thework He hath given me to do.’This statement is such a contrastfrom the man arrived in Bristol at theend of March 1739 and wrote in hisjournal that he considered himself‘so tenacious of every point relatingto decency and order, that I shouldhave thought the saving of soulsalmost a sin, if it had not been donein a church’. As we know, he quicklymoved on from that view!

In my capacity as the manager of theNew Room, I’ve been able todevelop my knowledge of theWesley brothers and the earlyMethodist movement to the point thatI’ve been invited to share it withothers through talks andpresentations.

What continues to inspire andenthuse me is this sense that I havealso been given a work to do andthat I must be faithful in fulfilling it.After ten years of service as themanager of the New Room, I hopethat you, the reader, also share thatview.

David addressing theStewards’ Meeting


Film crew preparing the Horsefair courtyard

Carol service Friday communion service

Scenes from life at The New Room

Fairtrade Pop Up Shop


The autumn term(Sept-Dec 2015) saw the numbers ofpupils and students visiting the NewRoom rise by a third compared to thesame term in 2014 (287 as opposedto 217).

A wide range of educational groupsvisited, including:

• First year History studentsfrom UWE, led by ProfessorMadge Dresser

• Students studying ‘Religion– Material and Culture’ at theUniversity of Bristol

• Students from thechaplaincy at BrasenoseCollege, Oxford

• Returning classes fromBristol Cathedral School(secondary) and Little MeadAcademy, Southmead(primary)

This term, I have made several visitsto Kingswood School to lead worshipand it has been good to work withthe new chaplain, Rev David Hull.

In connection with the City of BristolCollege, the New Room has begun apartnership with a group of sixstudents from the college’s CreativeMedia Production (Level 3) course.On a rota basis, two students arevisiting the New Room everyThursday afternoon to record theprogress of the Horsefair Projectthrough photography and video. Thishas also involved interviewing staffand volunteers and liaising withrepresentatives from BeardConstruction.We hope to have a ‘first look’ at theirphotos and video soon.They are taking part in this projectcompletely voluntarily, alongsidetheir normal coursework, and haveso far been enthusiastic participants.

Exciting work is also taking place inlocal primary schools as the CodSteaks team (museum designers)begin their community engagementwork linked with the creation of ournew museum.

Working with five primary schoolsacross Bristol and Biggerhouse Film(a Somerset/ Bristol-basedproduction company), the CodSteaks team have been runningworkshops with pupils to produce ananimated/live action film looking atJohn Wesley’s ‘Manifesto’ – adocument produced by Garyoutlining 12 things that John Wesleybelieved in (eg full employment, fairwages, inclusion of women).

It has been fantastic to see pupilsengaging with the story of theWesleys and the New Room and Ican’t wait to see the finished product.

Particular thanks must go to RuthSpiller at Cod Steaks for herorganisation of this part of theproject, and Stephen, Tom and Jofffrom Biggerhouse.A soundtrack to the film will also berecorded at the New Room with aschool choir very soon.

Jake and Shannon from the City of Bristol Collegeinterviewing Lucie in the chapel

Lights … camera …education by Mandy Briggs


In other news, two half term activitydays for families were held inFebruary. “Where’s Wesley?” gaveus a chance to roadtest our newFamily Activity Guidebook, whichwas enthusiastically received byfamilies who visited. Activities onboth days included a treasure hunt,a graffiti wall, colour-in horses, thechance to dress up and take a#johnwesleyselfie, alongsidepuzzles and games in the guide.

Along with a new educationvolunteer, David Jordan, I took astall containing New Room leafletsand information to a conference for

RE teachers held in Clifton inJanuary, organised by the Bristoland South Glos SACRE groups.This generated a lot of interestamong local RE teachers.

I attended a training day onHigher Education and Museumsin Bristol in February and alsohope to attend a training day atthe British Museum in Aprilcalled ‘Objectively Speaking- thevalue and practice of object-based teaching’. (ie how we canuse objects from the NewRoom’s collection to facilitatelearning and engagement).

(Well, 38 actually)During the school Easter holidays,the New Room is once againworking with the Ark Bus team torun a wild Treasure Hunt – and thisyear it’s STRIPY!38 zebras have been distributed tolocal schools, who are going todecorate them in wild andwonderful ways. The zebras willthen be placed in shops aroundBroadmead, giving families anopportunity to ‘spot’ themthroughout the Easter holidays andthen return to the New Room toclaim a prize and learn more aboutthe story of Easter.The zebras will be running wild inBroadmead from Saturday March26th to Friday April 8th, so don’tforget to come down and see if youcan find them.On Saturday March 26th andSaturday April 2nd, the Ark Busteam will also be running activitiesand crafts outside the New Room’sBroadmead Courtyard (completewith minibus) – so come andsupport them too.

There will also be an Easter EggHunt in the courtyard and a chanceto be included in the New Room’sWall of Awesomeness. And if youare mystified as to what thatmeans – come and find out!

LOOK OUT!

There’s azebra about

Cod Steaks and biggerhouse filmworked with pupils to create ananimated film, which is now beingedited.


You are warmly invited to a ‘HolyHabits’ evening at the New Room onThursday 12th May, 2016 with authorAndrew Roberts, from the Bristol andWest Midlands Discipleship andMinistries Learning Network.

Packed full of real life stories that willmake you laugh and cry, biblicalmaterial and careful reflection, HolyHabits explores the nature andnurture of Christian discipleship.

On May 12th Andrew will introducethe themes explored in the book andthere will be opportunity to engagewith several of the habits.

With arrivals and refreshments from7pm the evening starts at 7:30 pmand will run through to 9pm. Theevening is free but for cateringreasons we do need you to book [email protected]

For more about the book please visitwww.holyhabits.co.uk. In themeantime here is what some peoplehave kindly said about the book:

I love the way the habits areevery day, ordinary, do-able ones:this feels very godly.Lucy Moore, Founder of MessyChurch.Holy Habits is about the heart ofthe Christian life – about beingshaped by Jesus Christ as wefollow him. I commend it warmly.Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool.

Just the job! An accessible andauthentic account of Christiandiscipleship, full ofencouragement and insight.Martyn Atkins, SuperintendentMinister and Team Leader,Methodist Central Hall,Westminster. Thursday, 12th May

Subscribe to our new monthlyEmail Newsletter!

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter and find out what’shappening at The New Room each month.

To sign up to our E-Newsletter go to our home pagewhere there is a link at the bottom of the page and inputyour name and email address. You can also access oursign up link via our facebook page– The News Room/John Wesley’s Chapel.

‘Holy Habits’ evening at the New Room

The New Room Shop

The New Room Shop is open Monday to Saturday, 10 – 4pm.

The second hand book shop in our chapel is refreshed regularly byDavid Weeks.

http://www.holyhabits.co.uk


Colin and I moved from theSalisbury area to Clevedon fouryears ago. Having been membersof the Methodist church for manyyears we soon found a welcome atKenn Road church.

It was the suggestion of one of thestewards there that we both mightlike to come along to the New Roomwhere he had been a volunteer for anumber of years. We are ashamedto say that we had not heard of JohnWesley's Chapel in Bristol, but aswe were both now retired it soundedlike something we would like to beinvolved in. So, now the New Roomis part of our life and we are verythankful for that and hopefully sharewith you some of the reasons wefeel that way.

The building in its simplicity, and inits history of being of service to thecommunity in providing basic humanand spiritual support, there iscontained within its walls, a peacethat is difficult to define.

It undoubtedly brings alive the loveand focus of the Wesley family andgives each volunteer the opportunityto learn more about the traditions ofMethodism and gives us anopportunity to share ourexperiences and our faith.

Visitors from all over the world andfrom differing denominations andfaiths have been a source of greatsupport to us as we seem to beforever reading and hearing of thedemise of Christianity and tolerancewithin our own country and we hopethat we may have in some smallway been a help or support to them.

We have also been given theopportunity to be the listening andnon-judgemental ear for visitors whohave come in and found a peacefulenvironment in which they can sharetheir sorrows and concerns andperhaps were able to share with usin a short prayer.

One of the great things about beinga volunteer is that each duty isalways different because of thediffering reasons that people stepfoot into the New Room. It may onlybe curiosity that some have alwayswondered what it looks like inside.Some feel drawn to come in, othersjust looking for a church because atthat moment in their lives theyneeded to connect with God. Forothers of course it may have been apilgrimage to the source ofMethodism.

We, ourselves always come awayfrom a duty feeling blessed forhaving spent time there.

Life as a Steward

Are you interested involunteering at the New Room?

Contact Lucie Connors on0117 926 4740

or by email:[email protected]

by Margaret and Colin Mills

In each issue of themagazine, we inviteone of our manyvolunteers to give usa snapshot of theirwork for the NewRoom.

Here, Margaret andColin tell how theydiscovered the NewRoom just four yearsago and have nowbecome part of itslife.


Entering BristolCathedral from the west doorone’s eye may well be attracted tothe stained glass windows on theopposite, eastern, side of the navewhere one discovers the portraits ofcertain citizens who are consideredto have enhanced the city’s status.One of these, the teenage boy, isSamuel Wesley.

Samuel was the younger son of theRevd. Charles Wesley, therenowned hymn writer, and nephewof John Wesley. He was born inBristol on 24 February 1766. Havinglived in the Stokes Croft area for anumber of years, Charles with hiswife Sarah and children moved in toNo.4 Charles Street early in 1766. Itwas here that Samuel spent his earlyyears, and he may have actuallybeen born here.

Sam’s brother, Charles junior, nineyears older than Sam, was an infantmusical prodigy, a talent that Samhimself soon developed. Toenhance his son’s musical abilitiesCharles moved the family to London

in the early 1770s and here, in thelarge house they were loaned inGreat Chesterfield Street, youngCharles and Samuel started theirsubscription concerts which becamewell known.

Sadly in later years Charles junior’smusical talents gradually fadedwhereas Samuel’s developed fromthe early days.He was called ‘the English Mozart’,and he was regarded as one of thefinest composers, and the greatestorganist, in the land.

Disappointed with the standard ofmusic in the great London churches,he attached himself to thePortuguese and Sardinian embassychapels where the music wasRoman Catholic and good. He infact became a Catholic to the greatdisappointment of his father andmother. Sam wrote quite an amountof choral music for Catholic choirs,and even a mass for the popehimself. Samuel’s adherence to theCatholics did not remain strong, andunfortunately his unorthodox lifestyle prevented him from gaining theestablishment college or cathedralappointment that his skills demanded(a prestige that his son SamuelSebastian Wesley enjoyed in manyAnglican cathedrals and churches).He however wrote a considerableamount of music in very many styles,choral, instrumental, organ, piano,concertos, symphonies, songs, gleesand hymn tunes.

In his later years he became musicadviser to the Methodists and it wasfor one of John Wesley’s collectionsof hymns that Sam wrote andpublished his book of thirty eighttunes, feeling that they were moresuitable than some of those thenbeing used!. No.4 Charles Street (now called theCharles Wesley Heritage Centre) isa grade 2* listed building and is partof the trust held by the New Room.

Samuel Wesley’s book of tunes setto his father’s hymns was publishedin 1828 and, as a tribute to Bristol’sgreatest musical son, the New RoomTrustees are producing a modernedition, copies of which will beshortly available.

Samuel Wesley’s current Biography,Source Book and other material iswritten by Professor Olleson atNottingham University.

The 250th birthday of Samuel Wesley by Philip Carter, Director of Music

Samuel Wesley as a boy

The Music Room in their home at4 Charles Street, Bristol, whereyoung Samuel and his brotherCharles learned their musical

skills

A picture of Samuel Wesley in laterlife


The Library at the NewRoom holds a long run of the 19th

century Minutes of the WesleyanMethodist Conference. Like their21st century counterparts theycontain the stations and obituaries ofthe ministers. I was interested inRobert James Andrew who I hadfound in the 1871 census stationedat Camborne in Cornwall, married toJulia with three children.

The Stations in the Minutes revealedthat Robert Andrew began hisprobation in 1863 at St Austell, wasmoved in 1865 to Tywardreath andin 1866 to Liskeard. From there hewas ordained at the 1867 conferencein Bristol. The conference was held,not in the New Room, as that wasthen owned by the Welsh Calvinists,but at the adjoining King StreetChurch. In 1868 he was stationed atCamborne. Later in 1871 he wasmoved to Devonport. In 1873 hewas stationed at Coad’s Green nearLaunceston and is listed as the firstminister, so he was presumably thesuperintendent of the North Hillcircuit. In 1876 he was stationed atRotherham as the second minister.In 1879 he was stationed at Bramley,Leeds, as the superintendent with703 members. In 1882 he wasstationed at Pontefract with 2 juniorministers, a retired minster, and1015 members.

Then, in 1885, he was moved toKilburn, not the one in Yorkshire butthe one in north west London. Thischurch, in Quex Road, was the onewhere I was christened. He wouldhave known my grandparents aschildren and my great-grandparents,who were prominent churchmembers at that time. I found thatreally thrilling, to think that I knew thepulpit from which he preached andsome of the people to whom he

preached. The church wasdemolished when I was in my teensand a smaller modern one built onhalf the site. In my loft I found thecentenary booklet my parentsproduced in 1968 and, sure enough,Robert is listed and with details of anelaborate bazaar that was put on

during his time.‘Wesleyan Church, Quex Road,Kilburn, circa 1925]

From there he was sent toHaslingden, near Bolton, in 1888.He came back to Kensington in 1891where he died on 27 March 1894aged only 55. His obituary [in theMinutes of Conference 1894, page28] confirms that he was born inPenzance in 1838, mentions thestart of his ministry in Cornwall, andcomments on his powerful voice, butsays nothing about his time inYorkshire or Lancashire. However, itdoes say a lot about him as aminister and he sounds an endearingcharacter.

His ‘devoted labours led to theconversion of many souls’.‘In every Circuit he won therespect and gratitude of thepeople. His work for God,especially in the salvation ofsinners, was a consumingpassion. His preaching wasvigorous and practical, alwayscharacterised by true evangelicaldoctrine and strong commonsense.’

‘All his work bore evidence ofkeen observation, extensivereading and constantprayerfulness. He possessedgreat business aptitude’.‘He was an intelligent stalwart ofMethodism and administered itsdiscipline with firm but kindlyhand. The sick and poor heldhim in loving esteem, and hewas a great favourite with theyoung. As a colleague he wasmost brotherly and unselfish,frank in speech and a genuinefriend.‘

Having described his final illness,which it says he bore with‘exemplary patience and fortitude’, itconcludes

‘Shortly before the end he saidwith a smile “There is no shadoweven in the valley”.’

But the Minutes of Conference donot tell the whole story, though anentry on page 742 of the 1872volume hints at it. Under a list ofitems of ‘Extraordinary Expenditure’is the amount of £25 granted to R JAndrew of Devonport for ‘severe andfatal family affliction’. Robert wasbaptised at Penzance on 13 May1838, the son of John Andrew, amaster mariner, and his wife Mary.They had three older children andwere to go on to have 2 more, butwhen the last child was baptised in1843 the register notes ‘father dead’.So Robert lost his father before hewas six years old.

In 1867, probably immediately afterhis ordination, he married AnnaMaria Sydal Roberts. They had ason Arthur Robert born 2 December1868 and baptised 19 December, butbefore the end of the year AnnaMaria had died. In 1869 RobertJames Andrew married Julia VivianPryor, a widow with a young son

Treasure in the Libraryby Christine Jones


from her first marriage to RichardAitkin Pryor. On 23 November 1870Robert and Julia had a daughter,who was baptised Annie Vivian on19 January 1871. Hence the three children I had foundin the 1871 census were his, hersand theirs.

Worse was to come. On 19 October1871 Julia gave birth to a son, whothey named Nicholas, but he livedonly a few hours. Julia died threedays later. It was indeed a ‘severeand fatal family affliction’.

In 1873 Robert married Sarah BrittenAllison and in 1874 they had a childwho they named Louise Britten.Arthur died in 1878, while they werein Rotherham, and Sarah died in1880, while they were in Bramley. Inthe 1881 census for Bramley, Robertappears as a widower with Annie,daughter of Julia, and Louise,daughter of Sarah. Later in 1881Robert was married for a fourth time,to Anne Wilson. In 1884 they had adaughter, Edith Mabel, and in 1885 adaughter, Evelyn Wilson. In the 1891census the four half-sisters, Annie,

Louise, Edith and Evelyn, bearingthree of their mothers’ family names,were living together at theHaslingden manse, 44 ManchesterRoad, but I have so far been unableto trace Robert and Anne.There is reputed to be a memorial toRobert and to Nicholas on Julia’sgrave stone at the CentenaryChapel, Camborne, but on a recentvisit I was unable to find it.

When the Horsefair project iscomplete The New Room will havevastly-improved facilities forconserving and having access to awealth of historical documents,including much of the kind thatChristine was able to trace (whilstshe and others are doing valuablework recording what is there andpreparing it for future use).

The Methodist Church has acomprehensive list of resources on-line, and advice such about onlinesources which you can find.

There is also a short book, ‘AMethodist in the Family’, which youcan get at the shop at The NewRoom.

It answers the top ten mostfrequently asked Methodist familyhistory questions. It translates thejargon of Methodism and explainshow having a Methodist ancestormight affect the family records youcan find today.

It also takes the rise of the internetinto account and signposts usefulresources available in print andelectronically.

Throughout the last 270 years people havebeen able to find the written works of Johnand Charles Wesley, and many others,because some have preserved fragilepaper. Our library in Bristol has a uniquecollection of these works and much moreabout the life, works and struggles of‘Wesleyan’ Christians.

There were others in Wesley College’svaluable library which are in storage now:some, though not all, are going to becomepart of the New Room Library when it isbuilt.

The new Horsefair building will then be ableto offer research facilities to scholars and tothe growing community of citizens whotreasure the heritage of family and religion.

This is the library at present.

Christine and other volunteers arecompleting the work of makingsure that the catalogues ofvaluable books and documents arein order before everything ispacked away to be ready to moveinto the enlarged library in the newbuilding.

Researching yourfamily history


The Trustees of John Wesley’sChapel / The New Room areappointed by the MethodistChurch of Great Britain tomaintain and develop thevaluable Heritage buildings onThe Horsefair (The New Room)and in Charles Street (theCharles Wesley Heritage Centre).

Under the leadership of theWarden they have establishedsignificant conservation,educational and mission work incentral sites in the city of Bristol.To enable The New Room to beopen to visitors from around theworld there is a rota of stewards

who are present to welcome andinform them.

They serve, usually with threepersons present at a time, for 3hours at a time (10.00 am to 1:00pm and 1.00 to 4.00 pm), offeringas many duties as they find suitstheir life style. Training andsupport are given, and all aresubject to being checked undersafeguarding rules.

If you might find this a gooduse of your spare time, pleaseconsider joining the team ofNew Room stewards.

Details concerning any matterconcerning the New Room orCharles Wesley’s Heritage Centrecan be obtained from any of thenumbers and social network siteslisted on the back page.

This edition of the magazine isavailable in print and on theworldwide web (please look for the‘Media Gallery’tab of the New Room website to findthe present issue and all previouseditions for the past 5 years).

The next issue of trhemagazine will be produced inthe Autumn of 2016

All material in this publication is produced for free distribution (donations welcome!)We acknowledge with thanks those who have provided the text and illustrations used.

To the best of our knowledge what has been reproduced is in the public domain, and we apologisefor any oversight.

The picture on page 8 of John Wesley preaching in the Lord Mayor’s Chapel in Bristol by W.H.Y.Titcombe is the copyright property of the City of Bristol Museums and Art Galleries, and used withtheir kind permission.

The photo on page 13 was taken in Lovely Lane Chapel in Georgia, USA by Laura Sisson.

Otherwise, the ‘publisher’ has drawn on the photo-resources of the Worthington family, MandyBriggs and other supporters of The New Room whose work is either on his files or taken from theworldwide web.

Acknowledgements

Registered Charity Number: 1137957

The New Room,John Wesley’s Chapel36 The Horsefair,Bristol, BS1 3JE

Tel: 0117 926 4740

Email: [email protected]

www.newroombristol.org.uk www.charleswesleyhouse.org.uk

www.hymnodytimeline.org.uk

@NewRoomBristol

The New Room/ John Wesley’s Chapel

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Introducing John Wesley’s Lights Camera New Staff Page 3 ......The design and installation of the museum is being dealt with under a separate contract – this time with a Bristol