Baptist Chapel, Great Warford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baptist Chapel, Great Warford |
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Great Warford Baptist Chapel
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| OS grid reference | SJ 816 770 |
| Location | Merryman's Lane, Great Warford, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| History | |
| Status | Baptist chapel |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 14 April 1967 |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Completed | 1813 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 62 |
| Length | 24 feet (7 m) |
| Width | 15 feet (5 m) |
| Materials | North wall timber framing with brick infill; other walls brick Roof Kerridge stone slabs |
The Baptist Chapel in Great Warford is a historic church found on Merryman's Lane in the village of Great Warford, Cheshire, England. It's a really old and important building, listed as a Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a very special building that needs to be protected because of its history and architecture.
Contents
The Chapel's Story: A Look Back in Time
How the Chapel Began
In 1712, a group of people called Dissenters started using this building. Dissenters were people who chose not to follow the main Church of England. Before this, they met secretly in local farmhouses.
The building they found was actually a barn connected to a small cottage. They turned the barn into their meeting place for worship. The first leaders of this group were important Baptists.
Changes Over the Years
In 1813, the building was changed again. It was split into two parts. The western side became a home for the minister (the chapel's leader). The eastern side continued to be the chapel where people gathered to worship.
What Does the Chapel Look Like?
Outside the Chapel
The chapel was first built with a timber-framed structure. The spaces between the wooden beams were filled with a mix of mud and straw called wattle and daub.
When it was rebuilt in 1813, the south, east, and west walls were changed to brick. It's likely that the old wattle and daub in the north wall was also replaced with brick.
The north wall still shows its original timber frame. It has ten tall oak posts and four horizontal beams at different heights. On the ground floor, there are three windows that open outwards, each with two glass sections. On the first floor, there are two similar windows, placed a bit unevenly.
The south side of the building has six sections. The two-story cottage on the left has a doorway with a slanted top. To the right, on the ground floor, are two windows, and on the first floor, one window. You can also see a stone with "WBC 1813" carved into it, which stands for "Warford Baptist Chapel" and the year it was rebuilt.
The chapel part has two tall, narrow windows with pointed tops and stone sills. The door is similar to the cottage's door. Between the windows, there's a special plaque. It says, "Great Warford Baptist Chapel Founded at Norbury Houses 1642." This tells us the Baptist group started meeting much earlier, in 1642, before they got this building.
The east side has one tall, narrow window with a pointed top. On the west side, there's a doorway that is now blocked up and a two-section window on the first floor. The roof is original and made of heavy Kerridge stone slabs.
Inside the Chapel
The chapel room itself is about 7.3 meters (24 feet) long and 4.6 meters (15 feet) wide. Two large posts in the middle help hold up the roof.
At the east end of the chapel, there is a gallery, which is like a balcony. All the furniture inside the chapel is original, meaning it's been there since the chapel was built or soon after.
The pulpit, where the minister gives sermons, is in the middle of the wall that divides the chapel from the minister's cottage. It faces the gallery. The chapel has nine old-fashioned box pews. These are like small enclosed seating areas, five on the north side and four on the south side. In the middle of one pew on the north side, there's a stove that used to burn coke to keep the chapel warm.
The chapel can seat up to 62 people. The church records, which list important events like births and deaths, started in 1757.
Filming Location
This historic chapel has even been used for TV! It was a filming location for a wedding scene in the TV series Cousin Phillis.
More to Explore
- Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
- Listed buildings in Great Warford
