St Benet's Chapel, Netherton
Encyclopedia
St Benet's Chapel, Netherton, is a redundant
Roman Catholic chapel in Chapel Lane, Netherton, Liverpool
, Merseyside
, England. The chapel and the attached priest's house have been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. In the National Heritage List for England it is described as "an important example of an early Catholic church and is one of the best preserved examples in the north-west". It is managed by the Historic Chapels Trust.
were built in 1793, replacing a cottage and barn that had been used by Benedictine
priests. It was built soon after the Catholic Relief Acts of 1778 and 1791 that allowed Roman Catholics to worship openly. Despite this, only the presbytery was visible from the road, with the chapel concealed behind it. The chapel was made redundant in 1975 and is owned by the Historic Chapels Trust. The presbytery was restored in 2004 and is used as a residence for retired priests. The chapel is undergoing restoration in a way to present it as it would have been before the Second Vatican Council
.
roof and the chapel has stone slate roof. The chapel is in two bays
with round-headed sash window
s. On its west gable
is a bellcote surmounted by a cross. The entrance is at the west end of the north side and consists of paired doors over which is a blind tympanum
. Internally, some of the fittings have been removed, and those remaining are considered to be important. At the west end is a gallery with a stick balustrade
, and a dog-leg staircase on its north side. Around the chapel is a panelled
dado
and a cornice
. The east wall is decorated with paired fluted
Corinthian
pilaster
s carrying an entablature
with urn
s, a frieze
with anthemions
, and an open pediment
. Curtains hang from the pediment, which are open to display a descending dove, a Gloria and cherubs
' heads with wings. The altar is marbled and dates probably from the 1830s.
The presbytery appears from the road to be a "standard two-bay house". It has two storeys. Over all the windows are wedge lintels. The two windows in the ground floor of the entrance front are sashes with glazing bars
; the two windows above them are casements
. Between the windows on the ground floor is a doorway containing a six-panel door with flat pilasters and an open pediment, over which is a fanlight
. Between the windows on the upper floor is a blind window. On the right (north) side are two windows, one on each floor, and a round-headed stair window at an intermediate level. On each side of the presbytery is a gable surmounted by a chimney stack.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Roman Catholic chapel in Chapel Lane, Netherton, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England. The chapel and the attached priest's house have 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. In the National Heritage List for England it is described as "an important example of an early Catholic church and is one of the best preserved examples in the north-west". It is managed by the Historic Chapels Trust.
History
The chapel and associated presbyteryRectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
were built in 1793, replacing a cottage and barn that had been used by Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
priests. It was built soon after the Catholic Relief Acts of 1778 and 1791 that allowed Roman Catholics to worship openly. Despite this, only the presbytery was visible from the road, with the chapel concealed behind it. The chapel was made redundant in 1975 and is owned by the Historic Chapels Trust. The presbytery was restored in 2004 and is used as a residence for retired priests. The chapel is undergoing restoration in a way to present it as it would have been before the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
.
Architecture
The presbytery faces the road and the chapel stretches at right angles from its rear. Both buildings are constructed in brick with stone dressings; the presbytery has a slateSlate
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 and the chapel has stone slate roof. The chapel is in two bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with round-headed 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. On its west gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
is a bellcote surmounted by a cross. The entrance is at the west end of the north side and consists of paired doors over which is a blind tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
. Internally, some of the fittings have been removed, and those remaining are considered to be important. At the west end is a gallery with a stick balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
, and a dog-leg staircase on its north side. Around the chapel is a panelled
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
dado
Dado (architecture)
In architectural terminology, the dado, borrowed from Italian meaning die or plinth, is the lower part of a wall, below the dado rail and above the skirting board....
and a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. The east wall is decorated with paired fluted
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...
Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s carrying an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
s, a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
with anthemions
Palmette
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has an extremely long history, originating in Ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear...
, and an open pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. Curtains hang from the pediment, which are open to display a descending dove, a Gloria and cherubs
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...
' heads with wings. The altar is marbled and dates probably from the 1830s.
The presbytery appears from the road to be a "standard two-bay house". It has two storeys. Over all the windows are wedge lintels. The two windows in the ground floor of the entrance front are sashes with glazing bars
Muntin
Muntin or Muntin bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window. Muntins are also called "glazing bars", "muntin bars", or "sash bars". Muntins can be found in doors, windows and furniture, typically in western styles of architecture...
; the two windows above them are casements
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...
. Between the windows on the ground floor is a doorway containing a six-panel door with flat pilasters and an open pediment, over which is a fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
. Between the windows on the upper floor is a blind window. On the right (north) side are two windows, one on each floor, and a round-headed stair window at an intermediate level. On each side of the presbytery is a gable surmounted by a chimney stack.