Derby Baptist Chapel facts for kids

The Derby Baptist Chapel was a special church building located on St Mary's Gate in Derby, England. It first opened its doors in 1841. This chapel was a place where people who followed the Baptist faith gathered to worship.

A Place for Worship

The group of people who would become the congregation (or church members) of this chapel first came together a long time ago, on August 21, 1791. For a while, starting in 1802, they met and worshipped in a different building on Brook Street.

As more and more people joined, the congregation grew quite large, reaching about 500 members. They needed a bigger space! So, in 1841, they bought a large house on St Mary's Gate. This house used to belong to the Osborne family and was built around 1750.

They bought the building from a person named William Evans, who was a Member of Parliament. The cost was £4,000, which was a lot of money back then! This old mansion was then changed into the Baptist Chapel.

The chapel served the community for many years. However, the last church services were held there in September 1937. After it closed, some parts of the building were moved. For example, its beautiful wrought-iron gates were taken and moved to Derby Cathedral, where they can still be seen today.

The Chapel's Organ

An organ is a very large musical instrument often found in churches. It makes music using air flowing through many pipes. In 1897, a brand new organ was made for the Derby Baptist Chapel by a company called Nicholson.

Before 1939, details about this organ were written down in a special record called the National Pipe Organ Register. This register keeps track of organs all over the country. In 1939, the organ from the Derby Baptist Chapel was moved to another church, the Baptist Church on Broadway in Derby.