Horsham Unitarian Church
Encyclopedia
Horsham Unitarian Church (formerly Horsham General Baptist Chapel) is a Unitarian
chapel in Horsham
in the English county of West Sussex
. It was founded in 1719 to serve the large Baptist population of the ancient market town
of Horsham—home of radical preacher Matthew Caffyn
—and the surrounding area. The chapel's congregation moved towards Unitarian beliefs in the 19th century, but the simple brick building continued to serve worshippers drawn from a wide area of Sussex. It is one of several places of worship which continue to represent Horsham's centuries-old tradition of Protestant Nonconformism, and is the town's second oldest surviving religious building—only St Mary's, the parish church
, predates it. English Heritage
has listed the chapel at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
but were not part of the Roman Catholic Church were historically known as Dissenter
s or (Protestant
) Nonconformists
. Nonconformism became officially recognised after the Act of Uniformity 1662
, which removed from their living
those Church of England ministers who refused to recognise or abide by the Act's requirements. Many alternative denominations
developed, all focused on a person's personal relationship with God rather than on the rites and ceremonies of religious worship as in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. This trend was seen throughout Sussex, and by the late 17th century "the all-embracing medieval Church" existed alongside dozens of newly established groups and denominations.
One of these sects was the General Baptists. Along with the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers) and the Presbyterians
, they found significant early success in the area around the north Sussex market town
of Horsham
. By 1676 there were about 100 Nonconformists in the town, and the General Baptist cause was led by local radical and evangelist Matthew Caffyn
. Under his guidance, Baptists had met in small house-groups in the area (in particular at Southwater
and Broadbridge Heath
) since 1669 or possibly as early as 1645. His influence on Baptist causes throughout southeast England was considerable: in 1696, his increasingly radical, unorthodox beliefs caused a schism in the General Baptist Assembly, and its response to his changing theology was significant in the development of Unitarianism.
The Act of Toleration 1689
gave greater freedom to Nonconformist groups: they no longer had to meet in secret in houses, and could build their own chapels. In 1719, a trust was formed to acquire land on the west side of the road to Worthing
, and a chapel was built between 1720 and 1721. The trust document required the land to be used for "Anabaptist
s ... maintaining the faith of General Redemption and the faith and practice of Believers' Baptism, and for such only". By this time, Caffyn had died and his son, also named Matthew, had succeeded him as a preacher in Horsham. The founders, John Dendy and John Greeve, paid (£ as of ) for the land, and were responsible for building the cottage-like chapel and laying out the garden around it.
There were known to be 18 Baptist families in Horsham in 1724, but in the chapel's early years about 350 worshippers typically attended: the building served as a central meeting place for congregations and individual people across a large area. In particular, many travelled in from the village of Billingshurst
. This group became large enough to split from the Horsham congregation and form a new church in Billingshurst in 1754. It was still linked to the Horsham cause until about 1818, when it declared its independence following a disagreement. As Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel
, it remains in use as a place of worship. Soon after the chapel opened, General Baptists formed the largest group of Nonconformists in Horsham—overtaking the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers), who were in decline, and Presbyterians
. Other Nonconformist groups in Horsham in the 18th and 19th centuries included Strict Baptists
, Independent Baptists, Plymouth Brethren
, Congregationalists
, Methodists
and Latter-day Saints.
Horsham General Baptist Chapel was extended in 1727 with the addition of an entrance porch. The original rostrum was replaced with a conventional pulpit
in 1752, and in 1772 the building was extended at the south end to accommodate a second vestry
and an internal baptistery
. Until this, worshippers were taken to the mill pond
at nearby Broadbridge Heath
to be baptised. The garden was by now used for burials, and it was extended in 1816. Later in the 19th century, more changes were made inside, the porch was rebuilt, pew
s were installed and one of the original galleries was removed. The most active period of reordering was between 1867 and 1872. The 19th century was also characterised by pastoral and community work: a school was established in the chapel, although it later moved to a private house; in 1839, the incumbent minister started an educational academy in a building in Albion Terrace, which published its own journal (the Albion Terrace Academy Gazette) for several years; and the same minister founded Horsham's first library in the chapel. The Horsham General Baptist Book and Tract Society offered about 4,000 books to the public. In 1893, Rev. John J. Marten founded what became the Horsham Museum
: originally based in the chapel, it is now housed in a building on The Causeway.
The move away from General Baptist beliefs and towards Unitarianism began at the start of the 19th century and was well established by 1820. Starting in 1878, the chapel's name changed from Horsham General Baptist Chapel to Horsham Unitarian (Baptist) Chapel, Horsham Free Christian Church, Horsham Free Christian (Unitarian) Church and latterly Horsham Unitarian Church. Some General Baptists remained in the town, though, and in 1896 a chapel was founded on the Brighton Road
to accommodate them. Since 1894, worshippers had met in a pub. The original iron and brick church survived until 1917, and its stone and brick successor of 1923 was in turn demolished and rebuilt in 2007. Brighton Road Baptist Church also established two daughter churches in the Horsham area.
An eccentric local spinster, Elizabeth Gatford, endowed a charity at the chapel in the late 18th century. In her will, she left five guineas
per year to be spent on bread which was to be given out to poor people every Sunday in the chapel. She left most of her fortune to be spent on her large collection of birds and animals, though, and she demanded that her burial should take place a month after her death; furthermore, she was buried in four coffins placed one inside the other. The endowment was still in existence in 1964, when it yielded £5.5s.-
(£ as of ). A 20th-century stone tablet inside the chapel commemorates this bequest.
Horsham Unitarian Church was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
on 20 May 1949; this defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, there were 1,628 Grade II listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
The chapel is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
, the umbrella organisation
for British Unitarians.
buildings on the west side of the Worthing Road—including Horsham's Quaker Friends Meeting House. It has walls of red and blue-grey brick, two storeys and a hipped roof
(with a hidden central depression) laid with Horsham Stone
tiles. The main façade faces east, and sits on a brickwork plinth with a stone course
. A similar band separates the lower and upper storeys. The date of construction is etched in one of the casement window
s. The central porch dates from the late 19th century. The rear (west) wall is obscured but retains its original ground-floor paired arched windows and first-floor gallery windows. The north and south walls have single-window ranges; those on the south side are hidden behind the baptistery and vestry built in 1772. These are in the form of a lean-to
with a sloping tiled and gabled roof and an arched window.
The chapel's interior dimensions are 27 by 37 ft (8.2 by 11.3 m). Two timber columns of the Doric order
, with square bases and decorative capitals
, support the roof, which is plastered. A panelled gallery at the north end is held on an octagonal column and retains its original box pew
s; a matching gallery was removed from the south side during the 19th-century renovations. The original rostrum stood between the two arched windows on the rear (west) wall. The southern extension has two vestries flanking a brick-lined, floor-set baptistery with stone steps. It was fed by a well sunk in the floor of one of the adjacent rooms. The "fine interior" also has monuments to John Dendy (one of the founders) and family members, members of the Gatford family and the Rev. Robert Ashdowne, minister between 1831 and 1861. In the graveyard, an ornate table-tomb to Richard Browne has gadrooning
and fluting
.
The chapel is set a long way back from the street within its graveyard. At the time of its construction, mistrust of Christian denominations outside the Established (Anglican) Church was still prevalent, and the building intentionally avoided drawing attention to itself or its congregation by being obtrusive. The graveyard survives on three sides, although many monuments were moved or taken away in 1976.
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
chapel in Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
in the English county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It was founded in 1719 to serve the large Baptist population of the ancient market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Horsham—home of radical preacher Matthew Caffyn
Matthew Caffyn
Matthew Caffyn was a British General Baptist preacher and writer.-Early life:He was born at Horsham, Sussex, the seventh son of Thomas Caffin, by Elizabeth his wife...
—and the surrounding area. The chapel's congregation moved towards Unitarian beliefs in the 19th century, but the simple brick building continued to serve worshippers drawn from a wide area of Sussex. It is one of several places of worship which continue to represent Horsham's centuries-old tradition of Protestant Nonconformism, and is the town's second oldest surviving religious building—only St Mary's, the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, predates it. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the chapel at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
In England, people and ministers who worshipped outside the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
but were not part of the Roman Catholic Church were historically known as Dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
s or (Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
) Nonconformists
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
. Nonconformism became officially recognised after the Act of Uniformity 1662
Act of Uniformity 1662
The Act of Uniformity was an Act of the Parliament of England, 13&14 Ch.2 c. 4 ,The '16 Charles II c. 2' nomenclature is reference to the statute book of the numbered year of the reign of the named King in the stated chapter...
, which removed from their living
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
those Church of England ministers who refused to recognise or abide by the Act's requirements. Many alternative denominations
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
developed, all focused on a person's personal relationship with God rather than on the rites and ceremonies of religious worship as in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. This trend was seen throughout Sussex, and by the late 17th century "the all-embracing medieval Church" existed alongside dozens of newly established groups and denominations.
One of these sects was the General Baptists. Along with the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quakers) and the Presbyterians
English Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism in England is distinct from Continental and Scottish forms of Presbyterianism. Whereas in Scotland, church government is based on a meeting of delegates, in England the individual congregation is the primary body of government...
, they found significant early success in the area around the north Sussex market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
. By 1676 there were about 100 Nonconformists in the town, and the General Baptist cause was led by local radical and evangelist Matthew Caffyn
Matthew Caffyn
Matthew Caffyn was a British General Baptist preacher and writer.-Early life:He was born at Horsham, Sussex, the seventh son of Thomas Caffin, by Elizabeth his wife...
. Under his guidance, Baptists had met in small house-groups in the area (in particular at Southwater
Southwater
Southwater is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England with a population of roughly 10,000. The village is administered from the Horsham District Council Offices. Much of the population of Southwater originated from the brick industry which thrived in the...
and Broadbridge Heath
Broadbridge Heath
-Notable residents:The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, was born at Field Place, which stands about a mile to the north of the village.The bestselling novelist Georgette Heyer lived at the Swan Ken, Broadbridge Heath, for several months in 1931....
) since 1669 or possibly as early as 1645. His influence on Baptist causes throughout southeast England was considerable: in 1696, his increasingly radical, unorthodox beliefs caused a schism in the General Baptist Assembly, and its response to his changing theology was significant in the development of Unitarianism.
The Act of Toleration 1689
Act of Toleration 1689
The Act of Toleration was an act of the English Parliament , the long title of which is "An Act for Exempting their Majestyes Protestant Subjects dissenting from the Church of England from the Penalties of certaine Lawes".The Act allowed freedom of worship to Nonconformists who had pledged to the...
gave greater freedom to Nonconformist groups: they no longer had to meet in secret in houses, and could build their own chapels. In 1719, a trust was formed to acquire land on the west side of the road to Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, and a chapel was built between 1720 and 1721. The trust document required the land to be used for "Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
s ... maintaining the faith of General Redemption and the faith and practice of Believers' Baptism, and for such only". By this time, Caffyn had died and his son, also named Matthew, had succeeded him as a preacher in Horsham. The founders, John Dendy and John Greeve, paid (£ as of ) for the land, and were responsible for building the cottage-like chapel and laying out the garden around it.
There were known to be 18 Baptist families in Horsham in 1724, but in the chapel's early years about 350 worshippers typically attended: the building served as a central meeting place for congregations and individual people across a large area. In particular, many travelled in from the village of Billingshurst
Billingshurst
Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies thirteen kilometres south-west of Horsham, and nine kilometres north-east of Pulborough....
. This group became large enough to split from the Horsham congregation and form a new church in Billingshurst in 1754. It was still linked to the Horsham cause until about 1818, when it declared its independence following a disagreement. As Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel
Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel
Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel is a place of worship in Billingshurst in the English county of West Sussex. The cottage-like building was erected in 1754 for General Baptists, hence its original name of the Billingshurst General Baptist Chapel, but the congregation moved towards Unitarian beliefs...
, it remains in use as a place of worship. Soon after the chapel opened, General Baptists formed the largest group of Nonconformists in Horsham—overtaking the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quakers), who were in decline, and Presbyterians
English Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism in England is distinct from Continental and Scottish forms of Presbyterianism. Whereas in Scotland, church government is based on a meeting of delegates, in England the individual congregation is the primary body of government...
. Other Nonconformist groups in Horsham in the 18th and 19th centuries included Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists, also known as Particular Baptists, are Baptists who believe in a Calvinist or Reformed interpretation of Christian soteriology. The Particular Baptists arose in England in the 17th century and took their namesake from the doctrine of particular redemption.-Further reading:*History...
, Independent Baptists, Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
, Congregationalists
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, Methodists
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
and Latter-day Saints.
Horsham General Baptist Chapel was extended in 1727 with the addition of an entrance porch. The original rostrum was replaced with a conventional pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
in 1752, and in 1772 the building was extended at the south end to accommodate a second vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and an internal baptistery
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistry or baptistery is the separate centrally-planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistry may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral and be provided with an altar as a chapel...
. Until this, worshippers were taken to the mill pond
Mill pond
A mill pond is any body of water used as a reservoir for a water-powered mill. Mill ponds were often created through the construction of a mill dam across a waterway. In many places, the common proper name Mill Pond name has remained even though the mill has long since gone...
at nearby Broadbridge Heath
Broadbridge Heath
-Notable residents:The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, was born at Field Place, which stands about a mile to the north of the village.The bestselling novelist Georgette Heyer lived at the Swan Ken, Broadbridge Heath, for several months in 1931....
to be baptised. The garden was by now used for burials, and it was extended in 1816. Later in the 19th century, more changes were made inside, the porch was rebuilt, pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s were installed and one of the original galleries was removed. The most active period of reordering was between 1867 and 1872. The 19th century was also characterised by pastoral and community work: a school was established in the chapel, although it later moved to a private house; in 1839, the incumbent minister started an educational academy in a building in Albion Terrace, which published its own journal (the Albion Terrace Academy Gazette) for several years; and the same minister founded Horsham's first library in the chapel. The Horsham General Baptist Book and Tract Society offered about 4,000 books to the public. In 1893, Rev. John J. Marten founded what became the Horsham Museum
Horsham Museum
Horsham Museum is a museum at Horsham, West Sussex, in South East England. It was founded in August 1893 by volunteers of the Free Christian Church and became part of Horsham District Council in 1974...
: originally based in the chapel, it is now housed in a building on The Causeway.
The move away from General Baptist beliefs and towards Unitarianism began at the start of the 19th century and was well established by 1820. Starting in 1878, the chapel's name changed from Horsham General Baptist Chapel to Horsham Unitarian (Baptist) Chapel, Horsham Free Christian Church, Horsham Free Christian (Unitarian) Church and latterly Horsham Unitarian Church. Some General Baptists remained in the town, though, and in 1896 a chapel was founded on the Brighton Road
Brighton Road
Brighton Road is a major road running through Croydon and Purley, in south London, England. The northern part of its length is designated the A235, and further south it becomes the A23....
to accommodate them. Since 1894, worshippers had met in a pub. The original iron and brick church survived until 1917, and its stone and brick successor of 1923 was in turn demolished and rebuilt in 2007. Brighton Road Baptist Church also established two daughter churches in the Horsham area.
An eccentric local spinster, Elizabeth Gatford, endowed a charity at the chapel in the late 18th century. In her will, she left five guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
per year to be spent on bread which was to be given out to poor people every Sunday in the chapel. She left most of her fortune to be spent on her large collection of birds and animals, though, and she demanded that her burial should take place a month after her death; furthermore, she was buried in four coffins placed one inside the other. The endowment was still in existence in 1964, when it yielded £5.5s.-
£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
(£ as of ). A 20th-century stone tablet inside the chapel commemorates this bequest.
Horsham Unitarian Church was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 20 May 1949; this defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, there were 1,628 Grade II listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham.
The chapel is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christian and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1928, with denominational roots going back to the Great Ejection of 1662...
, the umbrella organisation
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
for British Unitarians.
Architecture and description
The chapel is a "plain, cottage-like building" which forms part of a group of old vernacularVernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
buildings on the west side of the Worthing Road—including Horsham's Quaker Friends Meeting House. It has walls of red and blue-grey brick, two storeys and a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
(with a hidden central depression) laid with Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone
Horsham Stone is a type of calcerous, flaggy sandstone containing millions of minute sand grains. It is also high in mica and quartz. The rock extends in an arc-like formation for several kilometres around the West Sussex town of Horsham from which it bears its name and lies just below the Wealden...
tiles. The main façade faces east, and sits on a brickwork plinth with a stone course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
. A similar band separates the lower and upper storeys. The date of construction is etched in one of the casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s. The central porch dates from the late 19th century. The rear (west) wall is obscured but retains its original ground-floor paired arched windows and first-floor gallery windows. The north and south walls have single-window ranges; those on the south side are hidden behind the baptistery and vestry built in 1772. These are in the form of a lean-to
Lean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
with a sloping tiled and gabled roof and an arched window.
The chapel's interior dimensions are 27 by 37 ft (8.2 by 11.3 m). Two timber columns of the Doric order
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
, with square bases and decorative capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
, support the roof, which is plastered. A panelled gallery at the north end is held on an octagonal column and retains its original box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s; a matching gallery was removed from the south side during the 19th-century renovations. The original rostrum stood between the two arched windows on the rear (west) wall. The southern extension has two vestries flanking a brick-lined, floor-set baptistery with stone steps. It was fed by a well sunk in the floor of one of the adjacent rooms. The "fine interior" also has monuments to John Dendy (one of the founders) and family members, members of the Gatford family and the Rev. Robert Ashdowne, minister between 1831 and 1861. In the graveyard, an ornate table-tomb to Richard Browne has gadrooning
Gadrooning
Gadrooning is any decorative motif consisting of convex curves in a series. In furniture and other interior accessories, the term is applied to, among other things an ornamental carved band of tapered, curving and alternating concave and convex sections, usually diverging obliquely either side of a...
and fluting
Fluting (architecture)
Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
.
The chapel is set a long way back from the street within its graveyard. At the time of its construction, mistrust of Christian denominations outside the Established (Anglican) Church was still prevalent, and the building intentionally avoided drawing attention to itself or its congregation by being obtrusive. The graveyard survives on three sides, although many monuments were moved or taken away in 1976.