Frosterley Primitive Methodist Church (1861)
The revival during the superintendency of Mr Phillips commenced at Frosterley in 1861. The society had entered a new chapel (built on the site of the present one), and the occasion created widespread interest. People flocked in such numbers to the new place that a complaint arose that it was too small. In about two months the society increased from 68 members to 147. Joseph Makepeace was one of the prominent workers of that time. Like a fire the revival spread throughout the circuit. In spite of wretched winter weather, the chapels were crowded. Men had sleepless nights on account of spiritual distress, some of them were compelled to walk miles to obtain salvation, and numbers were called out of bed in the dead of night to pray with souls in trouble. John Lowery, of Gateshead, and his wife were then labouring at St. John s Chapel, where a comparatively large chapel had been built in 1852, and for six weeks the converting work went on. As the outcome of that movement over the circuit hundreds of new members were added to the roll. Not long afterwards there was another gracious visitation at nearly all the places in the station, in which Peter Clarke and his colleagues laboured strenuously.
‘Northern Primitive Methodism’ by W M Patterson, published in 1909, page 166.