About Us
The Building
It started back in the 18th century when Methodism both Primitive and Wesleyan along with the Baptists and Calvanists had a presence in Bottesford. There was a Primitive Methodist Society around the 1780s and by 1820 it had built its church or chapel behind a row of cottages on The Green. The cottages were demolished in the 1930s to provide a small chapel forecourt. The Wesleyan Methodists built their chapel in 1845 in Chapel Street.
You can read an article about the Queen Victoria's Jubilee 1887 click here.
In 1932 Methodism reunited and a few years later the Wesleyans and Primitives agreed to use the chapel on The Green. The chapel in Chapel Street closed, was sold and some time later converted into residences. The chapel on The Green continues to serve the community and has undergone various alterations through the years. In 2020 it celebrated 200 years of continuous worship.
Before, during and after re-development of the chapel front 2004
The Circuit
A circuit is simply a group of local churches. Prior to 1944 the chapel was part of the Long Bennington - Bottesford - Redmile Methodist Circuit then it became absorbed into the Bingham Methodist Circuit which subsequently changed to the Vale of Belvoir Methodist Circuit which in turn amalgamated with Grantham Methodist Circuit in 2003 to become the Grantham and Vale of Belvoir Methodist Circuit which it remains to this day. The circuit is one of many that is the Notts and Derbys Methodist District which is part of the national Methodist Church known as the Connexion.
The People
Known ministers who have served the Bottesford community are :-
Rev. John Ford (pre 1902); Rev. Joseph Dowell (1930s); Rev. Philip Foster & Rev. Frank Sorrell (late 1930s - early 1940s); Rev. Alfred Tennant (1944); Rev.Edward Bonar (1947); Rev. John Lawrie (1951); Rev. Herbert Mountford (1956); Rev. Arthur MacGregor Brown (1960); Rev. John Price (1965); Rev. John Flintham (1969); Rev. Alan Wright (1978); Rev. Jessie Cobb (1980); Rev. Ronald Dyer (1993); Sister Kathy Lamb (1998); Rev. Christine Perry (2003); Rev. Tina Swire (2005); Rev. Lesley Taylor (2007); Rev. Ian Mason (2014); Rev. Helen Shallow (2016); Rev. Neil Maynard (2021);
Since 1947 the Bottesford ministers lived at the manse on Station Road then at Bowbridge Lane from 1990. In 2021 the Revd Nel Shallow was the last minister to live in the manse. Since then it has been let short term to generate income for the circuit.
Revd. Neil Maynard and as with previous ministers encourages consideration of the development of worship, work and witness. He lives at the manse in Grantham and Bottesford is part of his ministry.