Toxteth Unitarian Chapel Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Toxteth Unitarian Chapel
View across Park Road
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OS grid reference	SJ 363 875
Location	Dingle, Liverpool, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Unitarian
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	28 June 1952
Architectural type	Chapel
Groundbreaking	1618
Completed	1774
Specifications
Materials	Stone with slate roof

The Toxteth Unitarian Chapel is a historic building in Liverpool, England. It is located on Park Road in the Dingle area. Since the 1830s, it has also been known as The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth. This chapel is very important, so it is listed as a Grade I building. This means it is one of the most important historical sites in England. It is still used today as a Unitarian chapel. Unitarians are a group of Christians who believe in one God and focus on reason and individual freedom in faith.

History of the Chapel
What the Chapel Looks Like
Images for kids
See also

History of the Chapel

Early Beginnings: School and First Preacher

The story of the chapel began in 1611. A group of Puritan farmers built a school in Toxteth. Puritans were a strict group of Protestants who wanted to "purify" the Church of England. They chose a 15-year-old named Richard Mather to be the teacher.

Mather later went to Oxford University for more education. But he was asked to come back to Toxteth. By this time, the chapel had been built. On November 30, 1618, he gave his first sermon there. He later became a priest in the Church of England.

Challenges for Nonconformists

However, Richard Mather was suspended from his job in 1633 and again in 1634. This was because he was a nonconformist. Nonconformists were Protestants who did not follow the rules of the Church of England. In 1635, Mather moved to America.

By 1662, the chapel's minister was a Presbyterian named Thomas Crompton. Presbyterians are another group of Protestants. He was joined by Michael Briscoe, another Dissenter. Dissenters were people who disagreed with the Church of England.

Growth and Changes Over Time

In 1672, both ministers received special permission to preach. This was under the Royal Declaration of Indulgence. The chapel was made bigger to welcome Dissenters from central Liverpool.

However, as more chapels were built, the Toxteth chapel was not used as much. It started to fall apart. In 1774, parts of it were rebuilt. Around this time, most people who attended the chapel became Unitarians. Other members left to start a new church. A porch was added to the chapel in 1841. Unitarian services are still held there every two weeks.

What the Chapel Looks Like

Building Materials and Design

The chapel is built from stone. It has a roof made of slate. It has two main floors. There is also an extra part on the west side with a section that sticks out. The windows are rounded at the top and have stone frames.

At the west end, there are two rounded doorways side-by-side. Above them is a special plaque and three windows. On the south side, there is a small, eight-sided tower called a cupola. It has openings called louvres and a decorative top piece called a finial.

Inside the Chapel

Inside, the pulpit (where the minister speaks) is at the east end. There are balconies, called galleries, on three sides. The chapel also has special seating areas called box pews. These are like small, enclosed boxes for families to sit in.

The galleries on the north and south sides are from the 1600s. The gallery that connects them was added in the 1700s. Two of the box pews have dates carved on them: 1650 and 1700. You can also see memorial plaques from the 1600s, 1700s, and early 1800s.

Outside and Special Features

Outside the chapel, there is a graveyard. It has a beautiful classical arcade from the mid-1800s. An arcade is a row of arches. The chapel's organ was built in 1906 by a company called Brindley & Foster.

The chapel also has a special memorial plaque for Jeremiah Horrocks. He was an astronomer from the 1600s. Horrocks was the first person to correctly predict when the planet Venus would pass in front of the Sun. He was a member of this chapel.

Images for kids

Plaque above the door of the Chapel
The schoolhouse next to the chapel

Toxteth Unitarian Chapel facts for kids

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