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History of the Mint
THE MINT METHODIST CHURCH EXETER
Our church takes its name from Mint Lane, the site of an old mint
(1698). You can still see the iron gates that marked the main entrance. There
was also a smaller access from St Olave’s Close
to the back. There was no access from Fore Street until 1894. The current
forecourt (a carpark) was then the Oatsheaf Inn and a graveyard. You can see the few
remaining gravestones along the left boundary wall.
The first Mint chapel was opened in March 1813, on the site of a disused
Arian (Unitarian) Meeting House, originally built in 1720. Some 65 years
later, in 1878, the trustees purchased the graveyard and the Oatsheaf Inn (with its stables and brewhouse),
demolishing these in 1894 to form the wide entrance to Fore Street we see
today.
The chapel was built on a grand scale. Its design reflected the taste of
traditional “Church Methodists” who cherished their links to the Church of
England. Try to imagine walking along the narrow streets of Exeter, crowds
confined by the city wall and then finding yourself
turning off from Mint Lane through a portico into a vestibule where there
were steps to the gallery. This gallery encircled three sides. There was a
tall central pulpit for the sermon, a Clerk’s
desk below for the reading of the prayers, and a communion table behind the
pulpit in an apse on the far wall. The apse and the inscriptions are still
there and may be seen behind the green curtains.) Initially, singing was
led by fiddles, flutes and a few singers. The organ was added in the 1830s.
As a result of the Trustees ambitious building scheme, the Mint chapel
started life with a debt of about ten times the amount raised during the
year of building. In the ensuing years, various financial efforts,
evidenced in the accounts, were launched to cope with this debt. Despite
this, school buildings were put up from time to time and the chapel was
lengthened.
The original Mint Methodist Church, 1813-1965
The chapel was rebuilt and enlarged in 1867. This renovated chapel
remained in use until a structural survey in 1965 declared the roof unsafe.
Ironically, this was due to the structural additions made during the
enlargement. There was subsidence and the truss holding the roof above the
gallery had curved, the walls cracked and the church was slipping into the
burial vaults. A decision was taken to build a modern city church on the
site. Services were moved to St Mary’s Major.
The ‘new’ Mint we see today utilises a ‘chevron’ design breaks the
monotony of a rectangular box. This aesthetic also represented the Trinity,
the ‘chevron’ being a form of triangle. A variety of materials were used
and this ‘cacophony’ of materials were selected to reflect the outward
spirit of the church, with glass from the Cotswold, afrormosia
wood in the finish and ivory muhuhu in the
herring-bone floor panels. The Mint was opened on 31 October 1970 free of
debt.
Twenty five years on, the Mint is looking again to redeveloping to meet
changing needs of the city. Today, the Mint has a membership of over 200
representing a dozen nationalities. It continues to adapt to fresh
challenges and last year introduced the first Korean services in Exeter. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Minister at the
Mint at andrew@asails.freeserve.co.uk.
Do look out for:
- The portrait of John
Wesley on the West wall. Below is the oak drop leaf table on which
John Wesley stood while preaching in Southernhay.
- The harvest
decorations. This marks the onset of autumn, when the mint celebrates
with a Harvest dance and gives thanks for God’s
bounty and provision. Wall-hangings and posters. These are the
handiwork of many who form the community at the Mint. There is Sunday
school, a mother and toddlers group, a luncheon club, a walking group,
hospital visitation teams and so on.
- The pulpit. This is
made in afromosia wood from West Africa and
is a reminder of the Mint’s international
links. The members of this church support schools and missions
throughout the world. There is a world map marked with the Mint’s international affiliations near the West
wall.
- Dates:
- Sep 1739 First visit
by John and Charles Wesley to Exeter. John preached at St Mary’s.
- 1808 Exeter made
head of a Circuit
- 1810 The Arian
meeting house became empty when the few members moved joined George’s Meeting in South Street.
- Mar 1813 New
Methodist chapel on Mint-lane opened.
- 1834 Organ
installed. Paid for by donations.
- 1841 Membership
stood at 1,043.
- 1846 A day-school for
boys opened. In 1853, one for girls was opened. Both operated until
1938.
- 1859 Debt from
building expenses finally cleared.
- 1965 The roof was
declared unsafe.
- Oct 1970 The new Mint church opened.
With thanks to Wilson Wong for this brief history of the
Mint (2005)
References
- Beardsall, T.
(1977). The Mint Methodist Church Exeter.
- Chick, E. (1907). A
History of Methodism in Exeter and the neighbourhood from the year
1739 until 1907.
- Le Messurier, B. (1962). A History of the Mint
Methodist Church, Exeter.
Site design and contents © 2000-2003 Mint
Methodist Church, unless otherwise stated.
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