“Wonderful to stand where John Wesley stood”, J. Chartwood, Essex

Our Wesley Room holds a fine collection of Methodist memorabilia from chapels and homes in the valley. It is probably the largest collection in the whole of the North East.

Here we tell of John Wesley’s thirteen visits to Ireshopeburn, the amazing story of the ‘plain and simple folk’ who were his pioneer evangelists in the North Pennines and the intensity of the Primitive Methodist revivals of 1822-5.

Upstairs in the Museum is a fascinating display about the 1788 Methodist Subscription Library which was set up in a nearby village.

Wesley first preached outside, beneath the nearby thorn tree, but also in the historic chapel next door.

A guided visit and talk about High House Chapel, John Wesley and the early Methodists can be provided for organised groups.