Watchet Methodist Church

Sunday Service at 10.30am

Regular Activities

The church is usually open during the day from Sunday to Thursday.

Saturdays

• Community Coffee Morning – 10am in aid of various charities. Cakes, cards and conversation.
• Table Top Sale – monthly

Alternate Mondays

• Bible Fellowship/Study Group – 2.30pm. 

Second Thursday of the month (October to July)

• Thursday Circle – 2.30pm

Fridays

• Church is used for a Catholic Mass – 6.15pm.

Notices

Thursday Circle:

On a sunny Thursday in July members and friends of Watchet Methodist Church drove to Malmsmead in Exmoor for a cream tea. We were very fortunate that the sun shone on us and we were able to have our teas in the beautiful garden. 

Harvest

Harvest Windows and gifts for the Food Bank

More About Watchet Methodist Church

The Church and its rooms below are used by a number of community groups.

Kitchen facilities available in the church and the hall/smaller room.

Our big event each year is the Crib Festival at Christmas.

Methodism comes to Watchet

Towards the end of the 18th century Lady Huntington’s evangelists played an important role as local pioneers of Methodism in West Somerset and at Watchet. From a handful of converts there quickly grew the largest group in the district. At a quarterly meeting held in Watchet on 23rd April 1823 it was resolved: “that it is the opinion of this meeting that a Chapel is necessary in Watchet and that one be built on the land bought of Mr Williams immediately”.

In due course the new Methodist Chapel was built on land at the rear of premises in Swain Street (later to become the Salvation Army Hall and now the home of the 1st Watchet Sea Scouts), and was opened on 1st August 1825. A gallery was added in the middle 1800s but it still remained too small for all the activities of this growing community and it had to be replaced.

Once again a decision was taken to build a larger Church which is the one in which we continue to worship now. Land was acquired in Harbour Road and the Church, which included the first non-denominational Day School, was opened on Easter Tuesday, 2nd April 1872.

The building has been described as follows:

• Former Wesleyan Chapel built in 1871. Early English style, random coursed red sandstone with hamstone ashlar dressings to windows, porch and buttresses. High coped gable, pitched slate roof with finials, 1½ storeys.
• East front divided into three bays by full height angle buttresses, centre bay breaks slightly forward. Two-light lancet windows with tracery and hood moulds to side bays. One large 5-light central window with geometrical tracery. Gabled porch approached up flight of stone steps. Cusped arched opening. Side elevations divided into four bays, 2 stage buttresses, four 2-light windows with geometrical tracery. Projecting section at west end with hipped slate roof.
• The Baptismal bowl which was carved from a large lump of Watchet alabaster composing variegated tints was presented to the Church in 1931 by Mr J J Moon of Battleton, Dulverton. It rests on four short and slightly carved legs linking it with a square plinth. The inscription reads “Watchet Wesleyan Church 1931 – Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not”.
• IHS on the pulpit fall is a monogram symbolizing Jesus Christ. It is from the Greek and an abbreviation of the name IHΣΟΥΣ (Jesus)
• The worship area in the Church was partitioned in 1999 in order to create an attractive entrance foyer, and in 2002 a lift to all floors was installed to make the Church accessible to those who are less able.