The stronghold of methodism: a survey of chapels in Cornwall

This article aims to explore some of the topics arising from a thematic listing survey of Nonconformist chapels in Cornwall. The factors underlining the abundance and distribution, particularly of chapels of Methodist origin, are explored. An understanding of the potential and limitations of documentary and physical evidence is essential to the recording process. It is important to determine how the dynamics of the New Dissent, most notably Methodism, and the processes of funding, schism and revival, have determined the planning, scale, architecture and archaeology of chapel buildings. This survey has highlighted the distinctiveness of our Nonconformist heritage, the processes at work behind its architectural diversity, the high rate of alteration and remodelling, and our own perceptions of its importance as a historical record.