The first chapel to be aided by the fund was Mildmay Park, built 1862. A substantial building that was enlarged over the years, in 1875 it had the largest income of any Methodist chapel in London. Although morning attendance in 1903 was recorded as 401, migration to the suburbs during the following decades saw the congregation decline. The church closed in 1964 and the land was cleared for housing.

There was a considerable Wesleyan presence in the east of the borough. In addition to the aforementioned Mildmay Park, Finsbury Park church opened in 1871 on land bought by Sir Francis Lycett at the corner of Wilberforce and Seven Sisters roads, just over the borough boundary.  An iron chapel was replaced by a more permanent building in 1875 and the society became head of the new Finsbury Park Circuit. The history of this church lies beyond the scope of this article; however a daughter church was planted in Gillespie Road in 1878. This filled the 'gap' between the Finsbury Park, Highbury and Mildmay Park Chapels. Gillespie Road closed in 1933 and the congregation united with the former Primitive Methodist congregation at Elwood Street.

On the other side of the borough another chapel established through the Metropolitan Building Fund was Caledonian Road Wesleyan Church, built in 1866 at the junction of Caledonian and Hillmarton Roads. In common with several other churches in the area, this was built in the Gothic style with a lofty spire. However, the congregation never filled the substantial 1,000 seat church and it closed in 1916. The building was subsequently used as a warehouse, became a place of worship again and was eventually demolished for housing.

Mildmay Park Wesleyan Chapel

Caledonian Road Wesleyan Church

The images on this page are courtesy of the Digital Image Archive, Pitts Theology Library, Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Permission to reproduce sought.