Walpole Old Chapel
Encyclopedia
Walpole Old Chapel is a redundant
chapel in Halesworth Road, Walpole
, Suffolk
, England. Originally a farmhouse, it was converted into a chapel in the 17th century. It continued in use into the 20th century but closed in 1970. It is now administered by the Historic Chapels Trust.
Christians was meeting in the nearby village of Cookley. Following the passing of the Act of Toleration
in 1689, which gave the right of freedom of worship to Nonconformists
, six trustees from the group took out a lease on the building and the surrounding 1 acre (0.404686 ha) of land, and converted the farmhouse into a chapel. In about 1700 an extension was added to the back of the building. Over the years attendance at the chapel declined, not helped by the establishment of an Independent chapel in the nearby town of Halesworth
. In the 1860s the building, by then a Congregational
chapel, was taken over by Primitive Methodists
. Numbers continued to decline during the 20th century, and in 1958 the trusteeship was passed to the Suffolk Congregational Union. The chapel finally closed in 1970, following which the building remained unused. In 1995 it came into the care of the Historic Chapels Trust.
as a Grade II* listed building. It is timber framed
with some brick casing in the left-hand gable
. The exterior is plastered
and the roof is tiled. The entrance face contains two doors. The interior is dominated by the pulpit
opposite the doors, and the main light for the chapel comes from round-arched windows, one on each sire of the pulpit. The pulpit is hexagonal and is raised, with a reading desk at a lower level in front of it. Over the pulpit is a hexagonal canopy
with an ogee
roof and a ball finial
. The roof is supported by three circular timber columns. On three sides, opposite the pulpit and on the side walls, is a tiered gallery. The floor is brick. On the ground floor are eleven box pew
s; elsewhere on the ground floor and in the gallery seating is provided on benches. Suspended from the roof is a six-branched candelabrum
dating from the 18th century. Outside the chapel is a grassed graveyard.
services are held each year in the chapel, and at other times concerts and other events are organised. It is open for visitors on Saturday afternoons during the summer. The building is licensed for weddings, and can be used for baptism
s and for blessings after civil marriage
s.
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...
chapel in Halesworth Road, Walpole
Walpole, Suffolk
Walpole is a village and a parish in Suffolk, England. Walpole has a chapel called Walpole Old Chapel and a primary school called Cookley and Walpole CEVC Primary School. The village is on the River Blyth. Nearby settlements include the town of Halesworth and the village of Cookley. It is in the...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England. Originally a farmhouse, it was converted into a chapel in the 17th century. It continued in use into the 20th century but closed in 1970. It is now administered by the Historic Chapels Trust.
History
The building originated as a farmhouse in the late 16th century. In the middle of the 17th century a group of IndependentIndependent (religion)
In English church history, Independents advocated local congregational control of religious and church matters, without any wider geographical hierarchy, either ecclesiastical or political...
Christians was meeting in the nearby village of Cookley. Following the passing of the Act of Toleration
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...
in 1689, which gave the right of freedom of worship to 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:...
, six trustees from the group took out a lease on the building and the surrounding 1 acre (0.404686 ha) of land, and converted the farmhouse into a chapel. In about 1700 an extension was added to the back of the building. Over the years attendance at the chapel declined, not helped by the establishment of an Independent chapel in the nearby town of Halesworth
Halesworth
Halesworth is a small market town in the northeastern corner of Suffolk, England. It is located south west of Lowestoft, and straddles the River Blyth, 9 miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...
. In the 1860s the building, by 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, was taken over by Primitive Methodists
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
. Numbers continued to decline during the 20th century, and in 1958 the trusteeship was passed to the Suffolk Congregational Union. The chapel finally closed in 1970, following which the building remained unused. In 1995 it came into the care of the Historic Chapels Trust.
Architecture and furnishings
The chapel has been designated by English HeritageEnglish 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. It is timber framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
with some brick casing in the left-hand 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...
. The exterior is plastered
Stucco
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 the roof is tiled. The entrance face contains two doors. The interior is dominated by the 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...
opposite the doors, and the main light for the chapel comes from round-arched windows, one on each sire of the pulpit. The pulpit is hexagonal and is raised, with a reading desk at a lower level in front of it. Over the pulpit is a hexagonal canopy
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
with an ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
roof and a ball finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. The roof is supported by three circular timber columns. On three sides, opposite the pulpit and on the side walls, is a tiered gallery. The floor is brick. On the ground floor are eleven 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; elsewhere on the ground floor and in the gallery seating is provided on benches. Suspended from the roof is a six-branched candelabrum
Candelabra
"Candelabra" is the traditional term for a set of multiple decorative candlesticks, each of which often holds a candle on each of multiple arms or branches connected to a column or pedestal...
dating from the 18th century. Outside the chapel is a grassed graveyard.
Recent history and present day
Since taking over the care of the building, the Historic Chapels Trust has carried out repairs and modernisation, including the reinstatement of the historic painting scheme in the interior and, in 2007, the painting of the exterior. Three ecumenicalEcumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
services are held each year in the chapel, and at other times concerts and other events are organised. It is open for visitors on Saturday afternoons during the summer. The building is licensed for weddings, and can be used for baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
s and for blessings after civil marriage
Civil marriage
Civil marriage is marriage performed by a government official and not a religious organization.-History:Every country maintaining a population registry of its residents keeps track of marital status, and most countries believe that it is their responsibility to register married couples. Most...
s.
External links
- Official website
- Suffolk Churches
- Protestant Dissenters - A farewel address delivered to a congregation of Protestant Dissenters, at Walpole in Suffolk, April 5th, 1767. by Thomas Howe