Description
In 1739 John Wesley's first London base was a converted foundry in Moorfields. By the 1770s larger premises were needed and in 1778 the Mother Church of World Methodism Chapel was opened here. Behind the Chapel is a small graveyard with plain chest tombs and the monument of John Wesley with pyramid and urn. In the forecourt is an obelisk to Susannah Wesley erected in 1870 and the Wesley memorial with bronze statue of John Wesley erected on the centenary of his death in 1891. The forecourt was re-landscaped with granite setts and York paving in the 1990s but has notable mature London plane trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Wesley's Chapel And Leysian Mission |
|---|---|
| Site location | 49 City Road |
| Postcode | EC1Y 1AU |
| What3Words | ///birds.hammer.draw |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Islington |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 12.30-1.45pm. Closed Thurs bet 12.45 & 1.30pm for service, and between Christmas & New Year, Public Holidays except Good Friday |
| Facilities | Chapel, Museum of Methodism, John Wesley's House; Shop, toilets (incl disabled) |
| Events | Open for London Open House. Programme of activities |
| Public Transport | Tube: Old Street (Northern); Moorgate (Northern, Circle, Metropolitan). Bus: 21, 43, 55, 76, 141, 205, 214, 243, 371 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2013 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
In 1739 John Wesley's first London chapel was a converted Foundry in Moorfields located c.200 yards from the current site. By the 1770s larger premises were needed and the foundation stone for a new chapel was laid on 21 April 1777, paid for by subscription. The site had once been a swampy field and was made fit for building having had soil that was excavated for the building of St Paul's Cathedral. Designed by George Dance the Younger who was Surveyor to the City of London at that time, the Mother Church of World Methodism Chapel was opened on 1 April 1778. Behind the chapel is a small graveyard with plain chest tombs and the monument of John Wesley with pyramid and urn. Other members of his family are buried at Bunhill Fields Burial Ground (q.v.). The Chapel was damaged by fire in 1879 and rebuilt in 1891, the Foundry Chapel rebuilt to the south in 1899. The Chapel Keeper's House, entrance gates and railings are late C18th. In the forecourt to the Chapel is an obelisk to Susannah Wesley erected in 1870 and the Wesley memorial with bronze statue of John Wesley by Adams-Acton was erected on the centenary of his death in 1891. The Chapel was in a bad state of repair by 1972 and was restored by 1978 and re-opened by Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on 1 November 1978. Wesley's house, where he lived when in London between 1779-1791, was restored as a museum in 1897/8. The forecourt was re-landscaped with granite setts and York paving in the 1990s and has notable mature planes.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328822 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Wesley Trust |
| Site Management | Wesley Trust. Friends of Wesley's Chapel |
| Dates | 1778 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Mother Church of World Methodism Chapel. LBII*: Tomb of John Wesley. LBII: Chapel Keeper's House; entrance gates and railings; Wesley memorial in forecourt; statue in forecourt of Wesley; Wesley's House at 47 City Road, the Manse, Leysian Buildings, 104 City Road |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Islington |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Bunhill Fields & Finsbury Square |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Formerly a burial ground for St Andrew's Holborn that closed for burials in 1850, the site was converted into public gardens in 1885 when St Pancras Borough Council acquired it along with a strip of land at the southern edge. St Andrew's Gardens are laid out as two rectangular lawns bisected by a central path with mature London planes and an ancient weeping ash. Many of the headstones were resited near the northern entrance but a few C18th chest tombs remain in situ in the gardens. A granite drinking fountain and a small red brick lodge date from the C19th.
Frederick Goodenough founded The Dominion Students' Hall Trust in 1931 to provide a collegiate home for male postgraduate students from overseas, with a sister Trust for female graduates established post WWII. London House was completed in 1933, a neo-Georgian building designed by Sir Herbert Baker. The northern and western ranges were completed to a simplified design after Baker's death in 1944. London House has an enclosed quadrangle entered through wrought-iron gates. The central garden is set to lawn with mixed beds on the perimeter and three specimen trees including a large mulberry. A sundial in the garden was unveiled by HRH The Queen on 10 November 2006 to mark the 75th anniversary of the college.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Trustees of the Foundling Hospital, established in 1739 by Captain Thomas Coram, purchased 56 acres in Lamb's Conduit Fields from Lord Salisbury and the Foundling Hospital, now Coram's Fields, was built by 1753. Samuel Pepys Cockerell was appointed to develop the estate surrounding the hospital, and his plan of 1790 had two squares. Mecklenburgh Square on the east was named after Queen Charlotte, formerly Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; it was designed by Joseph Kay with Cockerell as consultant, the houses built c1810-1820, the gardens laid out by Kay in 1809-10. The layout remains close to the original design with mature plane trees, ornamental trees, formal lawns and gravel paths.
The Trustees of the Foundling Hospital, established in 1739 by Captain Thomas Coram, purchased 56 acres in Lamb's Conduit Fields from Lord Salisbury and the Foundling Hospital, now Coram's Fields, was built by 1753. Samuel Pepys Cockerell was appointed to develop the estate surrounding the hospital, and his plan of 1790 had two squares. Mecklenburgh Square on the east was named after Queen Charlotte, formerly Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; it was designed by Joseph Kay with Cockerell as consultant, the houses built c1810-1820, the gardens laid out by Kay in 1809-10. The layout remains close to the original design with mature plane trees, ornamental trees, formal lawns and gravel paths.
