THE 300th anniversary of the birth of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, will be celebrated at a museum this weekend.

Celebrations will be held in the chapel vestry at Beamish Museum, County Durham, from 1pm on Sunday.

The Reverend Kingsley Barrett, of Durham University, will unveil a print of an engraving of Wesley.

The print is more than 100 years old and close inspection reveals that the image is made up of religious texts, all of them well-known Wesley sayings.

Following the unveiling, he will give a talk about Methodism and Wesley's life and teachings.

There will also be a Service of Song led by North Road Methodist Choir, Durham, of the hymns of John Wesley and US evangelists Moody and Sankey.

Visitors to the museum will also be invited into the chapel to hear some of the teachings of John Wesley and to celebrate his life in song.