Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel |
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| Location | 90 Southwark Bridge Road London SE1 0EX |
| Country | England |
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| Years built | 1870 |
The Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel (also known as Welsh: Capel-y-Boro) is a special church for Welsh people in London, England. It's like the main church for the Welsh Congregational church in the city. You can find it at 90 Southwark Bridge Road in Southwark, an area often called "The Borough."
This church community has a long history, starting way back in 1774. A Welsh chapel has stood on this very spot since 1806. However, the building you see today was built later, in 1870.
History of the Chapel
The story of this church community began in 1774. A preacher named Edward Jones started holding church services in the Welsh language in a place called Cock Lane in Smithfield. He was a lay preacher, meaning he wasn't an ordained minister but still led services.
These Welsh services continued at Cock Lane until 1785. That's when Edward Jones helped set up a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in Wilderness Row, which is now Clerkenwell Road.
Soon after, another Welsh service began in Gravel Lane, Southwark. This was like a branch of the Wilderness Row church. Eventually, the two groups decided to go their separate ways. The Gravel Lane group became fully Congregational, while the Wilderness Row group remained Methodist. This is thought to be the start of the Welsh Chapel we know today.
In 1806, a new chapel was built in Little Guildford Street, Southwark. This chapel was quite large, able to hold about 500 people. It cost £1200 to build at the time.
The Chapel Building Today
Around 1870, the land where the chapel stood was bought outright. This allowed for a brand new chapel to be built on the same spot. The first stone for the new building was laid on July 31, 1872. A well-known Congregationalist, Samuel Morley (MP), helped with this. He even gave £500 to help build the new chapel.
The new chapel officially opened its doors on Sunday, February 23, 1872. The building still stands in the same place as the old one. But now, its main entrance faces Southwark Bridge Road instead of Little Guildford Street. On August 8, 1881, David Simon Davies became the chapel's first official Minister.
In 1990, a big storm called the Burns' Day storm caused some damage to the chapel. Part of the roof and two chimneys fell, causing a lot of problems inside. It took six months to fix the damage, especially the gallery inside the chapel. During this time, services were held in the smaller vestry room. The chapel was finally reopened on November 22, 1990.
Chapel Activities
The Borough Welsh Congregational Chapel holds services that are spoken in both Welsh and English. These services usually happen at 11 AM on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of each month. Often, a friendly lunch follows the service, where everyone can chat and get to know each other.
The people who attend the chapel care a lot about their local community and the wider world. They often work together to raise money for many different charities.
