Park Lane Chapel, Farnham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Park Lane Chapel |
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| Park Lane Strict Baptist Chapel | |
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The former chapel from the west
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 Park Lane Chapel
Location in Surrey
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| 51°13′00″N 0°47′55″W / 51.216585°N 0.798528°W | |
| Location | Bear Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7LF |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Churchmanship | Strict Baptist |
| History | |
| Status | Chapel |
| Founded | c. 1844 |
| Founder(s) | Nisan (Edward) Samuel |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Closed |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 29 December 1972 |
| Style | Classical |
| Completed | 9 April 1852 |
| Closed | c. 1994 |
The building once known as Park Lane Chapel is an old church in Farnham, Surrey, England. It was used by a Christian group called Strict Baptists for almost 150 years. Today, it is a house. The church started with small meetings in the 1840s. A man named Nisan Samuel, who was from Poland and had become a Christian, helped make these meetings into a proper Strict Baptist church. Later, the church members bought land and built this chapel. This small building, made of stone and brick, is now a Grade II listed building. This means it is important for its history and design.
Contents
The Chapel's History
Early Christian Groups in Farnham
Many different Christian groups have a long history in the town of Farnham. Groups like the Congregationalists and Presbyterians were already well-known by the late 1600s. In 1793, they joined together to form a church called Ebenezer Chapel. Some people in Farnham preferred to worship in their own small groups. This was because they followed different Christian teachings.
Nisan Samuel's Journey
Nisan Samuel was born in 1812 in Poland. He was named after the Jewish month of his birth. His family was important in their local Jewish community. He had to leave his home to escape danger. He traveled across Europe and was helped by a kind person named Baron Rothschild.
Nisan first settled in London. There, he met a Jewish person who had become a Christian. Nisan became interested in Christianity himself and decided to convert. At first, he joined the main Church of England. Then, he changed his name to Edward Samuel.
In the early 1840s, he started to learn more about other Christian groups. These groups were called Nonconformists because they did not follow the main Church of England. He was asked to preach at many small meetings of these groups. Around this time, he was also baptized.
Starting the Strict Baptist Church
Around 1844, Edward Samuel was invited to preach in Farnham. A group of people there met informally for worship in a loft above a building. They did not belong to any specific church group. They asked him to lead them. He helped them become a formal church following the Strict Baptist beliefs.
About a year later, Samuel left Farnham to become a pastor in Hitchin. He later wrote a book about his life and his journey to Christianity. He also worked with a Strict Baptist church in Sleaford for many years.
Building the Chapel
The church in Farnham continued to meet in the loft. People said it was full of pigeons! In 1850, George Turner became the new pastor. He made plans to build a proper chapel. The church bought land on Bear Lane.
A new chapel was built that could hold 250 people. The first church service was held there on April 9, 1853. This was on Good Friday. The chapel was officially registered for worship. It was also registered for marriages in 1870.
By the mid-1950s, the church's life had been "quiet and uneventful." The number of people attending church slowly went down. The building was sold in about 1994 and was turned into a house.
A Protected Building
While it was still a church, Park Lane Chapel was given a special status. On December 29, 1972, it became a Grade II listed building. This means it is a "nationally important" building with special historical or architectural value. It is now protected by law.
Chapel Architecture
Park Lane Chapel is one of several small churches built for Strict Baptists in Surrey during the 1800s. The walls are made of a type of stone called clunch rubble. This means rough pieces of stone were used. The front of the building, which faces west, is covered with a smooth plaster called stucco.
The main door is set back under a straight porch. There is a stone on the front that shows the date the chapel was built. Above the doorway, there is a round window called a rose window. Above that, there is a triangular shape called a pediment. The roof is made of slates.
There are two windows on each side of the building. These windows have red brick around them and a slightly curved top. When it was first built, the inside of the chapel had only one floor. The walls and iron fence in front of the chapel are also part of its Grade II listing.
See also
