The history
It has actually been surprisingly tough to find a lot of history on this building. Despite it being just a short distance outside of a village it appears to have been relatively unknown, even to some living very close by.
What I can say is that there has been a structure of one form or another on the site since the mid 1800's, with regular services held until the 1990's. At this point, attendance started to dip and the number of services cut back to twice monthly.
As the number of faithful attendees slowed, so did the cash. As a direct result the maintenance of the building suffered and in 2014 the decision was taken to close the chapel indefinitely. Initially the intent was to source funding to repair the structural issues that had started to become apparent. I guess that, so far at least, the piggy bank is still in need.
The explore
I will say in advance, I had forgotten my filter kit on this one. That, combined with the lighting on this particular morning seems to have resulted in quite the flariest pictures I have taken to date. Apologies in advance if anyone is bothered by that.
I was first made aware that there could be something here by a friend who often tries to spot places for me. He was in the area visiting a relative and thought he had seen something of interest. Usually the places he suggests are either alarmed or terrible, so I almost ignored the tip but, faced with nothing to do on a Saturday morning, I thought I'd go take a look.
After parking up in the nearby village I took a stroll along the road in the direction my friend had suggested and when I arrived in the right place, I initially thought he had sent me on another wild goose chase. I put that to the back of my mind though and after pushing through some undergrowth, I found myself standing in front of a lovely little chapel.
It is nicely hidden from the road and seems very much out of place half buried in the surrounding trees. Climbing plants are doing their best to swallow the building wholly and it is hemmed in on all sides by a wall of greenery.
Just to the side of the building were the rotting remnants of some small old pews. Based on this I figured that the inside would be either trashed or a shell.
I almost didn't go any further, having seen those, but figured I may as well at this stage. I was very pleased that I decided to press on for a peek. Once I got inside I found myself looking at some oddly upholstered doors that really didn't seem to fit in a religious building. I was briefly distracted by the sound of the electricity meter spinning away and then I looked beyond the doors...
The tip was solid, my mate had hit the back of the net on this one.
Moving forward, the place felt very surreal. I kept expecting to bump into someone prepping for a service.
An empty collection plate sat on a seat just inside the door. If I ever carried cash I may have dropped in a few quid.
The notice board was even still full.
And there were still hymn numbers on the board.
Then I made my way up onto the pulpit to look out over the room. I tried to think of something inspiring to say but it was early and I hadn't yet had a coffee.
Very cool that there was still even an order of service up here.
Heading upstairs, the cracks begin to show. Literally.
And that was pretty much that. All in all I was very pleased and guess I should have more faith in my friends suggestions in future.
As ever, thanks for looking folks and hope you enjoyed. I know that it is far from the grandest place ever seen but I'd like to think it has something to offer.
It has actually been surprisingly tough to find a lot of history on this building. Despite it being just a short distance outside of a village it appears to have been relatively unknown, even to some living very close by.
What I can say is that there has been a structure of one form or another on the site since the mid 1800's, with regular services held until the 1990's. At this point, attendance started to dip and the number of services cut back to twice monthly.
As the number of faithful attendees slowed, so did the cash. As a direct result the maintenance of the building suffered and in 2014 the decision was taken to close the chapel indefinitely. Initially the intent was to source funding to repair the structural issues that had started to become apparent. I guess that, so far at least, the piggy bank is still in need.
The explore
I will say in advance, I had forgotten my filter kit on this one. That, combined with the lighting on this particular morning seems to have resulted in quite the flariest pictures I have taken to date. Apologies in advance if anyone is bothered by that.
I was first made aware that there could be something here by a friend who often tries to spot places for me. He was in the area visiting a relative and thought he had seen something of interest. Usually the places he suggests are either alarmed or terrible, so I almost ignored the tip but, faced with nothing to do on a Saturday morning, I thought I'd go take a look.
After parking up in the nearby village I took a stroll along the road in the direction my friend had suggested and when I arrived in the right place, I initially thought he had sent me on another wild goose chase. I put that to the back of my mind though and after pushing through some undergrowth, I found myself standing in front of a lovely little chapel.
It is nicely hidden from the road and seems very much out of place half buried in the surrounding trees. Climbing plants are doing their best to swallow the building wholly and it is hemmed in on all sides by a wall of greenery.
Just to the side of the building were the rotting remnants of some small old pews. Based on this I figured that the inside would be either trashed or a shell.
I almost didn't go any further, having seen those, but figured I may as well at this stage. I was very pleased that I decided to press on for a peek. Once I got inside I found myself looking at some oddly upholstered doors that really didn't seem to fit in a religious building. I was briefly distracted by the sound of the electricity meter spinning away and then I looked beyond the doors...
The tip was solid, my mate had hit the back of the net on this one.
Moving forward, the place felt very surreal. I kept expecting to bump into someone prepping for a service.
An empty collection plate sat on a seat just inside the door. If I ever carried cash I may have dropped in a few quid.
The notice board was even still full.
And there were still hymn numbers on the board.
Then I made my way up onto the pulpit to look out over the room. I tried to think of something inspiring to say but it was early and I hadn't yet had a coffee.
Very cool that there was still even an order of service up here.
Heading upstairs, the cracks begin to show. Literally.
And that was pretty much that. All in all I was very pleased and guess I should have more faith in my friends suggestions in future.
As ever, thanks for looking folks and hope you enjoyed. I know that it is far from the grandest place ever seen but I'd like to think it has something to offer.
