The Methodist Garden – 19th century
The History
The nineteenth century saw the flowering of Methodism on the Island, with the first Methodist chapel being built in Peel in 1777. By the end of the century there were almost 150 chapels, dominantly Wesleyan, though with a significant number of Primitive Methodist chapels as well. The strength of the movement lay in its ability to connect with working class people, both urban and rural, and it became a major political and cultural force.
The Design
There are two distinct parts to the garden: the woodland croft garden to the east and the amphitheatre to the west. The woodlands garden has a succession of understory planting including hellebores, snowdrops, daffodils, primroses, bluebells, foxgloves, aquilegia, lily of the valley and ferns with Rowan and other native trees above.
The woodland garden has the outline in quartz of a typical rural cottage that might have housed as many as a dozen people in two rooms. Each quartz stone (often used during the 19th century to provide a decorative trim to a garden) represents one of the 32 Methodist Chapels on the Island in 2019. A slate bench known as a ‘bink’ was a common feature of the croft garden and is located here.
Wesley was famous for his preaching in the open air, so the amphitheatre represents the open-air site is at Gwennap Pit near Redruth in Cornwall, where there was a natural amphitheatre. It became his favourite outdoor preaching place. Wesley called it ‘the most magnificent spectacle which is to be seen on this side of heaven.’
An oil painting was produced by William Overend Geller (1804-81) of Wesley preaching at the Pit. The painting has since been lost, though an engraving remains. Geller was a disciple of John Martin, who frequently visited the Isle of Man, and he used his canvas of: ‘Joshua commanding the sun to stand still’ as the basis for the famous composition.
Today
The small amphitheatre is designed primarily for impromptu performances by young people, but is used during Art Festivals and liturgical activities that take place in the Cathedral grounds.