An exhibition celebrating the people, place, setting and music of the Alport Lovefeast with photographs by Althea de Carteret and John Beatty and from local family archives.
8 June to 4 July at the Anglers Rest Cafe, Bamford
The launch night for this exhibition took place on 7th June with singing led by Joanna Mackey that reflected the unaccompanied traditional Methodist hymns which rise from the humble Lovefeast barn.
The evening was well attended and the singing a joy. Many thanks to all who contributed.
The singing was interspersed with words to both explain the exhibition and reflect the Lovefeast and I will copy the text below :
Remote and Radical
This evening we hope to reflect the Lovefeast and explain the exhibition.
The idea of the Lovefeast was introduced into Britain early in the seventeenth century by the Moravians and was adopted early in the Methodist Revival (1738 onwards). In the dictionary it is defined as ‘a religious meal shared as a sign of love and fellowship’.
This Alport Lovefeast has taken place annually since the early 1760’s.
It opens with the hymn Jesu Lover of My Soul by Charles Wesley sung to the tune Hollingside.
29 years ago when we had just moved to Alport and attended our first Lovefeast, the barn was full and the singing was strong. Since then many of the regular attenders are no longer with us and the unaccompanied hymns are not as well known to those who attend now.
We are very grateful to Joanna Mackey, who has put together a selection of hymns for this evening which will help to preserve them for the future. (Jesu Lover of My Soul)
At the beginning of the service, the minister often asks people who they are and where they have travelled from. It is not a regular congregation and this helps the oral tradition of understanding the developing story. Now I wish that I had kept a written record, as there are so few of the older folk left and the story is so interesting.
I will introduce ourselves and the elements of this exhibition.
A year ago, John Beatty (who can’t be here tonight) was preparing the photographs for a book about Kinder. He was out of the country when the Lovefeast took place and asked Althea de Carteret to come and take some photos. That year, I had printed out some quotations from Hannah Mitchell to read at the service. When we looked at Althea’s photos, they seemed to illustrate exactly the descriptions from 100 years ago and the idea of an exhibition was born. John kindly contributed other photos of the valley and wider landscape and these have been used in the panels to show how remote the area still is and to accompany accounts of how early worshippers braved long and sometimes dangerous journeys across the moors to meet in secret. A quotation from the biography of William Bagshawe The Apostle of the Peak states that he ‘ travelled hundreds of miles each week over some of the most formidable terrain in the country and that the famous barn attached to Alport Castles Farm, beneath the wild slopes of Bleaklow, became a well-known centre of Dissent.
The format of the service is unspecified but in the words of Eric Cocking who was a faithful custodian for many years : ‘contributions, simple, spontaneous and sincere, are made.’
Over the years, Joanna has recorded many of the hymns that have been requested and we have chosen Dear Lord and Father of Mankind as one that has been a recent favourite. (Dear Lord and Father of Mankind)
At a certain point, the cake and water are shared. A communion which has been reinterpreted without ritual and formality. The water traditionally comes from the trough in the farm yard and Hannah Mitchell (who was born at Alport in 1871) wrote in her autobiography The Hard Way Up : ‘The yard was swept, the gardens weeded, even the big stone water-trough was emptied and scrubbed, until when refilled it sparkled as if set with diamonds.’ In old newspaper accounts the cake is called a plum loaf and has been prepared by many faithful cooks over the years.
The hymn Come and Let us Sweetly Join by Charles Wesley is in two parts. The first is sung before the sharing of cake and water and the second after. John Wesley is reputed to have spoken in the barn, and I did find one printed source that stated that ‘One of the remotest places in which he once sheltered was a barn at Alport Castles Farm’ (Come and Let us Sweetly Join)
The idea of the exhibition was also encouraged by the fact that this is the 150th anniversary year of Woodlands Chapel. We are trying to piece together the story of both the Chapel and the Lovefeast and to make contact with those whose families have been part of this story over the years.
We have set up a facebook page and a blog to share the story. It is possible that if this continues well that it may develop into a bigger project and that we could consider publishing it. If you are willing to contribute or help in any way or if you know of anyone who would, or if you would like to acknowledge the part played by anyone that you know then do please contact us.
There are slips that can be filled in with your details and you could note any extra details on the back.
The closing hymn is God be with you till we meet again.
Our facebook page reflects what is currently happening : https://www.facebook.com/hopewoodlands/
The blog is intended to be a more permanent record :
https://woodlandschapel.wordpress.com/
Contributions can be sent either by email to judyhskelton@gmail.com
or by post to Judy Skelton at Alport Farm, Snake Road Bamford S33 0AB
The Lovefeast takes place on the first Sunday in July at 1.30pm and all are welcome.
Woodlands Methodist Church 