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Methodism and The Wesley Family in England
Methodism and The Wesley Family in England
Gather other like-minded travellers and discover the birthplace, the sources of inspiration, the preaching places of The Wesley family and more. Oxford, Epworth, Bristol, Cornwall and London will all be experienced. This is a sample itinerary only and can be adapted to suit your groups needs with services as appropriate. This and similar tours often operate in conjunction with a specific anniversary or conference where talks and lectures can be incorporated. Other faith tour sample tours can be seen elsewhere on this website.
SAMPLE DAILY ITINERARY BELOW
SOME OF THE TOUR’S SIGHTS.
Day 1 – London Arrival - Oxford
On arrival meet with your professional tour guide and depart for the historic town of Oxford. Visit Christ Church College where John and Charles Wesley were undergraduates, as well as Lincoln College where John Wesley presided over the Holy Club. See the John Wesley Memorial Room, and the College Chapel. Continue onto Oxford Castle which is at the site of the prison where the Wesley brothers visited convicts. Overnight stay in South Yorkshire.
Day 2 – Epworth
This morning travel to spend a whole day in Epworth where the tale of Methodism began. It was here that John and Charles Wesley were born. Visit the Old Rectory which was the Wesley family home from 1709 until 1735, and is now a museum. See the parish church of St Andrews where Samuel Wesley was rector from 1696 until 1735. The final visit is the Wesley Memorial Church, which was built as a permanent memorial to the family in 1889. Overnight stay in South Yorkshire.
Day 3 – Sheffield & Heptonstall
Begin the day in Sheffield which John Wesley visited over forty times. Walk through Paradise Square, and then onto Sheffield Cathedral where a stained glass window in the Chapter House depicts John Wesley preaching in the square. From Sheffield proceed onto the town of Halifax to Mount Zion Methodist Church. The church is wonderful example of the early nineteenth-century rural methodist chapels where Wesley stayed and preached. Onto Heptonstall Moor, stopping at the Octagonal Chapel built in 1764 and visit Red House in Gomersal. Built in 1660, the house was regularly visited by John Wesley. In the late afternoon continue onto Manchester. Overnight stay in Manchester.
Day 4 – Potteries & The Black Country
Drive south from Manchester to Crewe and visit the Museum of Primitive Methodism which outlines the division that emerged in Methodism after the death of John Wesley. From Crewe, cross into Shropshire to St Michael’s Church, Madeley. This church was built by Thomas Telford, and contains the tombs of John and Mary Fletcher. Continue into the the Black Country. Methodism became very strong in this area, but only after some early challenges. Mobs abused Methodists, ransacked their homes, and even John Wesley was captured and dragged through the streets. In the Wednesbury Central Methodist Church there are artifacts connected with the riots. Visit Bishop Asbury Cottage, the childhood home of the founding father of American Methodism, Francis Asbury and The Black Country Living Museum. This outdoor museum recreates life in the area at the end of the nineteenth-century, and of particular interest is the Methodist New Connexion Chapel which was moved to the site from nearby Netherton. Overnight stay in Bristol.
Day 5 – Bristol
Full day of sightseeing in the historic town of Bristol. Visit John Wesley’s chapel (the New Room), the oldest place of Methodist worship. Here you will see a museum collection and furnished rooms where the preachers lived and worked. Following this you will tour the house on Charles Street where the family of Charles Wesley lived for a number of years. At nearby Hanham Mount there is a replica of the wooden pulpit from which Wesley preached in the open air. In 1784 from the small town of Pill close to Bristol, three men ordained by Wesley set sail for America to lead the Methodist church there and this action marked the final separation of the Anglican and Methodist churches in the United States. Overnight stay in Bristol.
Day 6 – Cornwall
Leave Bristol and trace the footsteps of Wesley into the south western corner of England. Stop at Trewint Cottage near Launceston, the former home of Digory and Elizabeth Isbell, where John Wesley often stayed on his visits to Cornwall. Indeed Digory built two extra rooms onto his cottage for the use of John Wesley and his preachers. Overnight stay in Cornwall.
Day 7 – Cornwall & Salisbury
Visit Gwennap Pit in Redruth, one of Wesley’s best known open air preaching places. He delivered 18 sermons from what he called “my amphitheatre”. Leaving Redruth stop at Plymouth, from where the Pilgrim Fathers sailed in 1620. See the Mayflower Steps from which they began their epic voyage. Overnight stay in Wiltshire.
Day 8 – Salisbury & Stonehenge
Begin the day in the small city of Salisbury. Visit the cathedral and the Methodist Chapel, Bishop Asbury’s church before leaving for America in 1771. From Salisbury proceed to uncover the story of Stonehenge. Take in the unforgettable atmosphere of this World Heritage Site and best known prehistoric monument in Europe, visit the world-class exhibition to discover how the Stonehenge builders worked and spend time amongst the Neolithic houses to experience how they lived. Overnight stay in London.
Day 9 – London
This morning experience the city’s principal Methodist sites. You will visit the Wesley Chapel which was his London headquarters for 40 years and site of his tomb. Also visit his home and Bunhill Fields featuring the grave of John’s mother Susanna. The tour will also pass the Museum of London which stands on the site of the Aldersgate Society where John felt his heart “strangely warmed" on May 24th, 1738. Overnight stay in London.
Day 10 – London
This morning experience the city’s principal Methodist sites. You will visit the Wesley Chapel which was his London headquarters for 40 years and site of his tomb. Also visit his home and Bunhill Fields featuring the grave of John’s mother Susanna. The tour will also pass the Museum of London which stands on the site of the Aldersgate Society where John felt his heart “strangely warmed" on May 24th, 1738. Overnight stay in London.