King Street Methodist Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King Street Methodist Church, Derby |
|
|---|---|
 King Street Methodist Church, Derby
Location in Derby Central
|
|
| 52°55′34.0″N 1°28′48.9″W / 52.926111°N 1.480250°W | |
| Location | Derby, Derbyshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Wesleyan Methodist |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | James Simpson |
| Completed | 1841 |
| Demolished | 1966 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,400 people. |
| Length | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Width | 64 feet (20 m) |
The King Street Methodist Chapel was a special church in Derby, Derbyshire, England. It belonged to the Wesleyan Methodist faith. This chapel was an important place for its community for many years.
History of the Chapel
The first Methodist chapel in Derby was built in St Michael's Lane in 1765. As more people joined the church, they needed a bigger space. So, in 1805, a new chapel was built on King Street. This chapel could hold about 800 people.
Building a New Chapel
By 1840, even the 1805 chapel was not big enough for everyone. The church decided to build an even larger chapel. The first stone for this new building was laid on October 29, 1840. A famous architect named James Simpson from Leeds designed the chapel. It officially opened on September 29, 1841.
The building looked very grand and impressive. It had a beautiful front with strong, Greek-style columns. The upper part had fancy pillars, arched windows, and a triangular top section called a pediment. It was designed to hold 1,400 people.
The Macdonald Family Home
Next to the chapel, two houses were built for the ministers. One of these homes was where Reverend George Browne Macdonald and his wife Hannah lived. They had eleven children, and some of them grew up to be very famous!
Their children included:
- Alice Kipling (1837-1910), who became the mother of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling.
- Lady Georgiana Burne-Jones (1840-1920), who married the well-known artist Edward Burne-Jones.
- Lady Agnes Poynter, whose husband, Edward Poynter, was the president of the Royal Academy of Arts.
- Louisa Baldwin (1845–1925), who was the mother of Stanley Baldwin, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The King Street Methodist Chapel was eventually taken down in 1966.
The Chapel Organ
In 1841, a large pipe organ was put into the chapel by a company called Booth. A pipe organ is a musical instrument that makes sound by sending air through many pipes. You can find more details about this specific organ on the National Pipe Organ Register. When the King Street Chapel closed, its organ was moved to another church, the Queen's Hall Methodist Mission in Wigan.
