Methodism first reached Woodlands from Salisbury.  A Mr J Farmer from Woodlands attended a Class Meeting in Wimborne.

In an 1828 account of the Poole Circuit Stewards Quarterly Meeting held at Wimborne, the membership at Woodlands was shown as 39 and the quarterages paid at £2-15-0.  The first chapel was situated behind the “Round House” under a yew tree and in a pit.  The construction was of cob (clay bound with heather) and roofed with thatch.  The cottage to whose end it was attached was held on a life lease from the local Estate.

  In about 1836 the person whose life held the lease died and although a respectful application to continue using the building for worship was made, it was denied them and a week after the pulpit, forms, hymn books, bible etc were removed and given away.  This building was still standing in the 1950s and the bricked up arched doorway still as it was when closed and turned into a cottage.

For several months the congregation worshipped in the open air or where they could find anyone bold enough to allow them to use their premises for fear of the Squire and his steward.

At last in a cottage still occupied at the end of the lane under Boys Wood, east of the present chapel, they decided to have a twenty four hour, prayer and fast meeting.  Nothing to eat and only water to drink.  The theme of this meeting was that if possible, the stewards heart would be changed, but if not, that he should be removed.  About this time the steward was in Ireland, and he suffered a heart attack and died.  The new steward was then approached about a site which was owned (leased) by a member of a different denomination and he is said to reply “Let the Methodists have the plot or they will pray us all to death”.  This site was at the end of the lane, west of the present chapel and about 150 yards from the prayer meeting cottage.

When you remember 1837 was only about three years after the Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported for asking for an increase in their 7 shillings a week wage, money was hard to come by to build a new Chapel. But by their own labour and collecting through the circuit and neighbourhood they managed to build another cob walled and slate roofed Chapel although the cob was later replaced by brick.  This building was destroyed by fire in 1955 but part of the walls are used in the present bungalow.

In 1879 it was decided to build the present chapel at a cost of £600 and application was made for a site from the Seventh Earl of Shaftsbury.  The site suggested by the trustees was near the previous chapel up the lane but his Lordship chose the present site himself.  Everyone did what they could in bringing building materials right down to donkey carts.  As the bricks came from Sutton brickyard the wood probably brought down through Boys Wood and past the old chapel.  The seating capacity was about 250 including the gallery, which was used as a Sunday school.  Later a Sunday school was built on including a kitchen and offices.  Even at this time the site was only on a 21 years lease to be followed by 3x7 year leases.

            About 1920 a law was passed allowing religious denominations to buy the sites their buildings stood on and Woodlands was one of the first to take this up.  The first the Minister Rev. W. Newly knew of a change in the law was when he was shown a small item in the “Children’s Newspaper” and he at once checked and found it to be so.

The Chapel was lit by candles until sometime in the 1890s as a member, now passed over, could remember the item in the chapel stewards report relating to the sale of the candle sticks sometime after her marriage in 1891.

            It was heated by 2 slow combustion stoves. If both were burning well it was very hot but usually one or the other did not like the way the wind was blowing, one or the other would go out then it was cold. Sometimes the wind blew smoke back into the chapel so that people could hardly  see each other.  A MacClary hot air system was put on but it was very costly to maintain, extravagant on fuel and in the end filled the building with gas fumes.

In1970 an electrical powered oil fuelled hot air system was introduced and is proving very satisfactory.  As there were at least 5 tea meetings a year, the water was heated in a 15 gallon copper after being carried out 100 yards from a neighbouring well.  This also caused problems with the wind and no draught for the coal fire.  When it did get going you couldn’t see each other for steam.

One of the outstanding older members was William Jacobs who, according to his stone in the parish church yard, entered the Wesleyen Church in 1828 at the age of 21.  He worked in the Sunday School for 60 years, 42 years being Superintendent.  He died in 1900 being a member for 72 years.  In his membership the old cob and thatch Chapel had been taken away, a new building erected which became too small, and the present building erected and in use 21 years.  It is said by some of the lads who came under his sway in the Sunday school that he followed out the old Hymn “Watch and Pray” because he used to open his eyes when praying and if any of the school were misbehaving, he stopped short, went to the person concerned, gave them a jolly good slap in the ears then go back and finish the prayer.

The late Mr C Moore, when preaching at Woodlands, about the last time he preached there, about 1920, talked to us children and told us what a heritage we had to live up to.  He told us that the nanny for Lord Ashley, later the 7th Good Earl of Shaftsbury, was a member of the Woodlands Chapel and it is on record that her influence on the young lad when he was neglected by his own parents was the reason why he was such an outstanding Christian Reformer when he succeeded to the Earldom.

Another old family was the Dowlands and quite a few remember Joseph known to most people as Uncle Joe.  He was born in 1860 and in the class meetings he loved to tell about the Revival Meetings in the old Chapel, and how a number of people had the burden of several young people  on their souls and prayed without ceasing for them.  He said a number of young people, including himself. Had been to Revival services at Poole .  As they were walking back something told them to hurry so they started to run and as they entered the Chapel they were just in time to see those  they were praying for go to the communion rail and give their hearts to the Lord Jesus.

About the turn of the century, Revival meetings were being conducted by a Mr Burrows and when he gave the invitation to follow Jesus he gave it again and again.  Finally he said “I have never done this before and I hope never to do it again, but it has been laid before me that there is one person here tonight will never have another chance if they do not accept him now”.  The service ended but during the following week a young man was taken to hospital but died before anything could be done for him.  As can be imagined, this caused very serious talk.

Some time before 1914 a Mrs Hubbard conducted Evangelist services throughout the Wimborne and Poole Circuits and again many young people at Woodlands responded to the call of Christ and until their death were the backbone of the Church.

This was repeated in the 1930s when most of the present officers in the church answered the call.

Among the men building the present Chapel was a young man called Albert Forward.  He was a drunkard and neglected his wife and family.  When the roof of the Chapel was finished he went to the top and walked on the ridge from one end to the other.  Later he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus and is still remembered by some of the older members as a local preacher and his son followed in his footsteps.

Although a very sincere and devoted disciple he had no time for frivolous talk or behaviour and when preaching, told us boys to behave or else go outside if we whispered during the service which often lasted 2 hours.  Another preacher was Job King from Verwood who used to hawk Verwood pottery throughout a radius of about 40 miles and his bible was still in a pub near Dorchester until a few years ago.  When finishing his sermon he would say “just a few more rambling remarks and I will have and done”.

Mr Talbot of Verwood needed glasses but did’n’t know it and he used to carry the bible to the window and say “why dont em have sensible glass in these windows so that a preacher can read”.

Old Mr Robert White of Horton Heath used to tell the children about a man who stayed in a grand hotel.  When signing the register he noticed several ‘Bas’ MA’ and other letters.  So when he signed his name he followed it by BBBBBB.  When asked to explain this unusual title he said Best Bugle Blower in Bury Brass Band.  Another tale was about ambition and when a boy was asked, replied “sit on a gate post all day and eat rasher fat”.

Among the Wimborne Preachers was Mr Curtis who had a grocer’s shop in East Street now occupied by Messers Ensor and Son, Estate Agents.  Us children used to go to Sunday school 9.30am until 10.30 then into chapel and Mr Curtis never let us out until gone 12.30 and it was Sunday school again from 2.00pm to 3.00pm. His sermons no doubt took a lot of preparing but to us they were as dry as sawdust and we used to dread his coming.

Another preacher, Mr Charles Hopkins took for his text “Put on the whole armour of God”.  After talking for some time he came to the breastplate so he said “You know what a breastplate is it is like a pair of womens stays or corsets”. Always after this the youngsters said ”Mr Corset tonight”.