Salem Chapel, East Budleigh
Encyclopedia
Salem Chapel, East Budleigh is in Vicarage Road, East Budleigh
, Devon
, England. Initially a Presbyterian
, then a Congregational
chapel, it was later owned by the Assemblies of God
, and is now redundant and managed by the Historic Chapels Trust. The chapel, together with the adjacent assembly room and the boundary walls, has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
, English Heritage, East Devon District Council, and a variety of other sources.
It is reputed that during the 18th and 19th centuries the chapel was involved with smuggling
, involving its minister Samuel Leat, the smuggled goods being concealed in the chapel's large roof space.
, and has a slate
roof. It is a square building with a vestry
projecting at right angles from the rear of the right side. The roof is hipped
on all sides. There are two doors in the entrance face which bears a limestone
plaque inscribed "Salem chapel, built 1719" and a sill inscribed "enlarged 1836". There are two windows on each side and another two windows on the back wall. Internally, over the entrance is a gallery which was part of the original building, and on each side are galleries added in 1836. In the centre of the original gallery is an 18th-century clock. The preaching desk dates probably from the late 19th century as do the benches, and there are some 18th-century box pew
s in the galleries. The ceiling is vaulted
and is supported by a central steel post. The former central post had been iron but this was replaced during the restoration.
The separate assembly room has a rectangular plan and under it is a basement
. On its long face is a door between two sash window
s. There is another sash window on the left end, and on the right end is a door leading to the basement. The boundary wall is constructed in rubble
and brick. On the front wall are two gate piers
between which are cast iron
double gates and a wrought iron
overthrow
. The overthrow is decorated with scrolls and at its top is a lamp holder.
East Budleigh
East Budleigh is a small village in East Devon, England. The villages of Yettington, Colaton Raleigh, and Otterton lie to the west, north and east of East Budleigh, with the seaside town of Budleigh Salterton about two miles south...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England. Initially a Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
, then a Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
chapel, it was later owned by the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
, and is now redundant and managed by the Historic Chapels Trust. The chapel, together with the adjacent assembly room and the boundary walls, has been designated 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...
as a Grade II* listed building.
History
The chapel was built in 1719 and enlarged by the addition of further galleries in 1836. In the 1980s it was bought by a private owner who failed to gain support for his plans. The building then fell into disrepair. The Historic Chapels Trust visited it in 1996 and acquired its ownership in 1998. It cost £858,000 to restore the building, this being raised by grants from the Heritage Lottery FundHeritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, English Heritage, East Devon District Council, and a variety of other sources.
It is reputed that during the 18th and 19th centuries the chapel was involved with smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, involving its minister Samuel Leat, the smuggled goods being concealed in the chapel's large roof space.
Architecture
The chapel is built in stone which has been renderedStucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, and has a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. It is a square building with a 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....
projecting at right angles from the rear of the right side. The roof is hipped
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...
on all sides. There are two doors in the entrance face which bears a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
plaque inscribed "Salem chapel, built 1719" and a sill inscribed "enlarged 1836". There are two windows on each side and another two windows on the back wall. Internally, over the entrance is a gallery which was part of the original building, and on each side are galleries added in 1836. In the centre of the original gallery is an 18th-century clock. The preaching desk dates probably from the late 19th century as do the benches, and there are some 18th-century 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 in the galleries. The ceiling is vaulted
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
and is supported by a central steel post. The former central post had been iron but this was replaced during the restoration.
The separate assembly room has a rectangular plan and under it is a basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
. On its long face is a door between two sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s. There is another sash window on the left end, and on the right end is a door leading to the basement. The boundary wall is constructed in rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
and brick. On the front wall are two gate piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
between which are cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
double gates and a wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
overthrow
Overthrow (structure)
In wrought ironwork, the overthrow, particularly popular in the Baroque era commencing in the 17th century, refers to the crowning section of ornamental wrought ironwork which forms a decorative crest above a wrought iron gate; the overthrow provides some stabilizing structure tying together...
. The overthrow is decorated with scrolls and at its top is a lamp holder.