The Foundery

The Foundery (or Foundry), in Moorfields, was the first London foundry for casting brass cannon for the British Board of Ordnance. The building subsequently served as the first Wesleyan Methodist place of worship, and an important meeting place for the early Methodist community. In 1778, the Methodist congregation was moved to the nearby purpose-built Wesley's Chapel on City Road.

Lithograph by H. Humphreys, c. 1830

History

Cannon foundry

Also known as the King's Foundery[1] or Bagley's Foundry (after its founder Matthew Bagley), it was built (c. 1684)[2] in Windmill Hill (today Tabernacle Street)[3] in Moorfields on the northern side of the City of London. It supplied cannons for the nearby Honourable Artillery Company,[4] but was closed in 1716 after a steam explosion, caused by dampness in a mould, which killed Bagley and 16 others.[2][4] A new cannon foundry was subsequently opened (c. 1717) on the Board of Ordnance's Woolwich site, southeast of London.

Wesleyan chapel

The building was later used from 1739 as the first Methodist chapel in London by John Wesley[5] (a plaque in Tabernacle Street marks the nearby location).[6] Wesley purchased the building's lease for £115, then spent a further £700–£800 on refurbishment costs,[1][3] creating a chapel able to accommodate 1,500 people, plus a smaller meeting room.[1] Wesley first preached in the building on 11 November 1739 and another leading Methodist Thomas Maxfield was there in 1742. This first Methodist chapel hosted the first Methodist conference in June 1744.[7] The Foundery complex also provided a free dispensary which opened in 1746 and the Methodists appointed an apothecary and a surgeon. The following year there was a free school with two masters teaching 60 children. In 1747 the complex gained a lending society and in 1748 there was an adjacent almshouse.[1]

The Methodist society was moved to the nearby purpose-built Wesley's Chapel in 1778.

References
  1. Stanger, Frank Bateman (April 1979). "The Re-opening of John Wesley's City Road Chapel – A Call for Methodist Renewal". Methodist History. Archived copy
  2. "Bagley's Foundry / The Foundery". London Remembers. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. Cheetham, J Keith (2003). On the Trail of John Wesley. Dundurn. pp. 93–94. ISBN 9781842820230.
  4. "London's Forgotten Disasters: Explosion In Moorfields (9 October 2015)". Londonist. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  5. Henry Knell (1865), Guide to the British Arsenal, to which is added, an historical sketch of Woolwich and its environs, pp. 5–6
  6. "Foundery-site (1739–85) of John Wesley's first London Chapel". Methodist Heritage. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  7. "Wesley's Chapel – timeline". Museum of Methodism. Retrieved 14 November 2015.

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