John Wesley's Birthday
June 28, 1703
Wesley Chapel in London
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The chapel, in the St Luke's area, opened in 1778 to replace John Wesley's earlier London chapel, the Foundery, where he first preached on 11 November 1739. In 1776 Wesley applied to the City of London for a site to build his new chapel and was granted an area of land on City Road. After raising funds from across the Connexion the foundation stone for the chapel was laid on 21 April 1777. The architect was George Dance the Younger, surveyor to the City of London, and the builder was Samuel Tooth, a member of the Foundery society. The chapel was formally opened with a service on 1 November 1778.
The chapel is set within a cobbled courtyard off City Road, with the chapel at the furthest end and Wesley's house on the right. John Wesley's House, a mid-Georgian townhouse, was built in 1779 at the same time as the chapel. It was built by Wesley and designed by George Dance the younger, at that time the surveyor of the City of London. Wesley lived in the house for the last twelve years of his life and died in his bedroom.
The house was also used to accommodate travelling preachers and their families. The household servants also lived on the premises. The house continued to be used for travelling preachers after Wesley's death until it was turned into a museum in the 1900s.
Wesley died on 2 March 1791. His tomb is in the garden at the rear of the chapel alongside the graves of six of his preachers, and those of his sister Martha Hall and his doctor and biographer, Dr John Whitehead.
A bronze statue of Wesley with the inscription "the world is my parish" stands at the entrance to the courtyard; created in 1891 by John Adams-Acton.