Room 6 Object Highlights

Shoe Buckles belonging to John Wesley, c.1700

Wesley was shocked to see pupils from richer families mocking classmates who could not afford shoes. His response was to turn up at school himself wearing no shoes.

Creating Kingswood School was John Wesley's biggest education project, but in addition to this he set up a number of free schools for the children of the poor and for adults so they could receive an education that might help them better themselves.

John Wesley proposed "...to teach chiefly the poorer children to read, write, and cast accounts; but more especially (by God's assistance) to know God and Jesus Christ... The older people being not so proper to be mixed with children (for we expect scholars of all ages, some of them grey-headed) will be taught in the inner rooms, either early in the morning or late at night so their work may not be hindered."

In this room you will explore the influence Methodism has had on education and John Wesley's principles for a good education.