Digital Exhibitions

John Wesley was probably the most travelled Englishman of the eighteenth century. In over fifty years of public ministry (1739-1790) it is calculated that he travelled some 250,000 miles: on foot, horseback, by stagecoach or even cart.

In 1720, Wesley undertook one of his most significant early journeys – to matriculate as an undergraduate in Christ Church, Oxford. To mark this anniversary we invite you to follow an online ‘pilgrimage’ which traces Wesley’s likely approach into the city 300 years ago.

What was the city that the Wesleys knew? What would they have seen? Who did they know? Discover more in this exhibition produced to coincide with the John Wesley Lecture 2021, organised collaboratively with Lincoln College, Oxford and Wesley Memorial Church, Oxford.

2019 marked the 60th anniversary of the arrival of Westminster College’s students from London to their new Oxford buildings, now the Oxford Brookes University Harcourt Hill campus.

For #WCO60 all nine portraits of the Westminster College Principals were displayed together for the first time in many years. For more information on who they were, click here.

Following a fire in February 1709 that destroyed his family’s home, the Reverend Samuel Wesley (1662-1735) erected a fine replacement now known as Epworth Old Rectory.

Just seven years later, the occupants of the house were reportedly troubled by a ghost named ‘Old Jeffrey’ – one of the best documented hauntings in British history. This online exhibition explores this ghostly tale through the letters and testimonies of those who experienced it.

In December 2020 the Centre hosted the bi-annual Methodist Studies Seminar. This event provides an opportunity for established and emerging scholars of Methodist Studies to present the findings of their research. Themed around historic, and emerging, links between Methodism and the Monastic lifestyle, this Seminar explored the history of monastic orders; the Rule of Kingswood School; and links between Methodism and the natural world.

In 1709-10, thousands of ‘Poor Palatines’ made their way to London from the midst of war-induced devastation and poverty in southwest Germany. From there they eventually settled in County Limerick, Ireland, and had turned to Methodism by the mid-eighteenth century.

This photo essay considers Methodism through the lens of landscape rather than that of institutional religion, which is revealing of how present it remains in the daily life of the Irish Palatine community.

Originally created for ‘History Day’ in 2020, an interactive event held online to explore library, museum, archive and history collections across the UK & beyond coordinated by the Institute for Historical Research.

To mark this occasion the Centre created a new introductory guide to our Digital Resources, including material from our archival, art, library and digital collections.

2021 marked the bicentenary of the birth of James Smetham (1821-89), artist, poet, and teacher.

To celebrate this anniversary, the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History embarked on a project to conserve and digitise Smetham artworks and manuscripts in our collections, and to produce exhibitions and digital resources exploring the themes of art, faith, and mental wellbeing in the context of his work.

James Smetham: Timeline, pt.1: A chronological account of James Smetham’s early life (1821-1851) through his own words, and those of the people that knew him.

The Rose of Dawn: Who was James Smetham? An introduction to the life and work of the artist, poet, and teacher.