Brighouse is largely a consequence of the Industrial Revolution. In 1763, as a marshy swamp on the River Calder, it boasted a population estimated at around 300. In contrast, surrounding villages such as Rastrick and Hipperholme had populations of 875 and 1760 respectively. Due to the abundance of water power from the Calder and its tributaries, and, with the coming of canals and turnpikes from 1760’s, development was rapid.
The earliest references to Methodism in the locality of Brighouse are of Methodist religious meetings in the home of Mrs. Holmes at Smith House. (John Wesley preached there on three or four occasions between 1742 and 1746. On one occasion arriving on horseback from Birstall).
The House is situated at the bottom of Whinney Hill across Hoyle House Beck. For a period in the 1800s it was owned by Ann Walker of Crow Nest.
Methodist churches have been a centre of community life in Brighouse for over 230 years.
The first Park Chapel was built in 1791 and was the first religious building in the hamlet of Brighouse. It stood on Bethel Street, Brighouse Multiple chapels opened in the following decades
© Copyright 2026 Brighouse Central Methodist Church