A SMALL Methodist congregation is mourning the loss of its 133-year-old chapel.

The Reverend Les Hann, who looks after eight chapels in Weardale, County Durham, said the decision to close the chapel at St John's Chapel was taken with a heavy heart.

The chapel, which was built for £950 in 1871, succeeded a previous one, built in 1852 for only £250.

The present building, in the main street at St John's Chapel, will be sold under instructions from the Methodist Property Office, in Manchester.

Along with other chapels in Weardale and Teesdale, which have been forced to close because of dwindling congregations, it is likely to be converted into a private home.

The closure follows months of consultation between Weardale Methodist Circuit and the nine-strong congregation, who worshipped at St John's Chapel up to last Sunday, when they "gave thanks for years of Christian worship" in the village.

They are now likely to attend services at nearby High House or Westgate chapels.

Mr Hann said: "When the second chapel was built, the village was full of Victorian optimism that congregations would get bigger and the chapel would go on for ever. Sadly, that has not happened."

Mr Hann, who holds inter-denominational services in a house in Rookhope during severe weather, said: "It may be that we have to work closer with other denominations to ensure a Christian presence continues in areas like this."