Octagonal Methodist Church, Heptonstall

The chapel was built in 1764 by a Methodist Society which had grown steadily since John Wesley’s first visit in 1747. At first it was a perfect octagon, but in 1802 the sides were extended and the gallery reconstructed to increase the capacity. The shape was quite common in Methodist Chapels and followed the recommendation of Wesley who regarded them as preaching-houses rather than churches. The complicated roof structure was made by the carpenter for the Rotherham Octagon (1761) and brought to the site in sections on carts and packhorses, accompanied in the latter stages by hundreds of hymn-singing worshippers. Text from: Calderdale Architecture and History.