Bothwell Wesleyan Chapel

Bothwell being one of the oldest settlements in Tasmania was also situated some forty six miles from Hobart, thus the Wesleyan cause suffered due to the distance.

The new stone and brick Wesleyan Chapel at Bothwell held its opening service in March 1859, it was placed under the New Norfolk circuit. Over the years this changed between the Oatlands and back to the New Norfolk and finally its own separate circuit.

By the 19th century the congregation had dwindled and the building fell into disrepair. The trustees had previously been offered £150 for the property but they refused, thinking the railway would reach Bothwell -- but it never did.

A letter written in 1902 by a lady who taught at the Sunday School wrote:

... the deplorable state of the building , the vestry is used as a general laundry and has tubs scattered around it, the church itself is a carpenter's shop with cartwheels, chains, and tables scattered around ; while a saddle rests on the communion rail.

The trustees finally agreed to sell the building in May 1903 for £60 . It was demolished and the materials used in the erection of a cottage.

The following information was written by Malcolm Ward

Methodist Robert Blake was transported to Van Diemen’s Land as a ‘swig rioter’ and assigned to Archibald McDowall of Logan, near Bothwell, on his arrival in 1831. He gained a Free Pardon in 1836. Although only working as a shoemaker, Blake was able to acquire several blocks of land in Bothwell, including one of just over 1 acre facing Denniston Road in 1859.

Bothwell had a small but dedicated Methodist community and a Sabbath School was formed in 1836 which was attached to various circuits over the ensuing years. Fund raising to build a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel began and after reaching £150, work began on construction on the Dennistoun Road land owned by Robert Blake, next to Blake’s own cottage. The building was completed in 1859 at a cost of £215 and Blake sold the land to the Trustees in 1863 for a token 20 shillings.

Attendance of the congregation soon declined and by 1880 services had ceased but they recommenced briefly in 1889. By 1900 the building was in disrepair and was sold in 1903 for £60 for its building material; stones from the church can now be found in several cottages around Bothwell.

Remains buried in the churchyard were transferred to St Lukes nearby, although work on the now vacant land unearthed a brick crypt containing several skeletons many years later. These were re-covered in place.