Bilsham Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bilsham Chapel |
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The former chapel from the southeast
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| 50°48′36″N 0°37′17″W / 50.8101°N 0.6215°W | |
| Location | Bilsham Lane, Bilsham, Yapton, West Sussex BN18 0JX |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Pre-Reformation church |
| History | |
| Status | Chapel of ease |
| Founded | 13th century |
| Dedication | None recorded |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Residential conversion |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 5 June 1958 |
| Style | Gothic |
| Closed | c. 1550 |
Bilsham Chapel is an old chapel building in the small village of Bilsham, in West Sussex, England. It was built in the 1200s. At first, it was a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church for people who lived far from the main parish church in Yapton.
The little building stopped being used for church services around the time of the English Reformation. This was a period in the 1500s when big changes happened in the church in England. Since then, it has been used for different things, like storage and homes for workers. Since 1972, it has been a single house. The building is now a Grade II listed building. This means it is a special and important building because of its history and design.
Contents
What is Bilsham Chapel's History?
Bilsham is a small village within the area of Yapton. It is about 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) southwest of Yapton village and its main church. People have found signs that Anglo-Saxons lived here a very long time ago. The area of Bilsham was even mentioned in the Domesday Book, a very old record from 1086.
There was no church building in Bilsham until the 1200s. The oldest parts of the chapel that we can still see today are two windows on the north side. Experts think these windows were built in the 1200s, possibly around 1260. Other people think they might be from the 1300s, like the pointed window on the east side.
Why Did the Chapel Close?
The chapel was never named after a saint. During the religious changes of the 1500s, many small chapels like this one either became full churches or stopped being used for religious services. Bilsham Chapel was closed around 1551.
We don't know much about what the building was used for over the next 300 years. But in 1860, a study of churches in West Sussex said it had been "converted into two tenements" for workers. This might have happened around 1840. One wall was rebuilt with bricks at that time. More changes were made in 1878.
Before 1965, the two small homes were turned into a shed. But in 1972, the building became a home again. It was made into one house, which was called a "homely dwelling."
Why is it a Listed Building?
Bilsham Chapel, known as The Chapel, became a Grade II listed building on June 5, 1958. This means it is a "nationally important" building with "special interest." As of 2001, it was one of many Grade II listed buildings in the Arun District.
What Does Bilsham Chapel Look Like?
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The chapel is a small, rectangular building. It has always been one open space inside, with no walls dividing it. It has two floors. The walls are made of flint and sandstone. It also has red bricks around the corners (called quoins) and around the windows.
Oldest Features and Changes
The oldest parts of the building are two tall, narrow windows (called lancet windows) on the north wall. They have a special design at the top that was popular in the early 1300s. The pointed window on the east wall also has two sections and might be from the 1300s or 1400s.
In 1878, two pairs of single lancet windows with red brick frames were added to the south wall. At this time, a wooden roof with tie-beams was also added. The two simple windows on the west wall might have been put in then too. When the chapel was turned into a house in 1972, two dormer windows were added on the south side.
In 1860, a survey noted that the original arched entrance on the north side was blocked up. It also described "three solid stone buttresses" on that side. At that time, marks in the nearby field (which was part of Bilsham Farm) still showed where the old churchyard used to be. It was said to be quite large.
See also
