The chapel was established by a congregation that emerged from the Great Ejection of 1662, when nonconforming ministers were expelled from the Church of England. One such minister, John Lever, initially preached at Cockey Chapel before the congregation built the current chapel in 1715.[1] It was enlarged in 1773 and altered in 1845, when the entrance was moved from the south side to the east wall.[1]
The chapel transitioned from Presbyterianism to Unitarianism in the early 19thcentury. A memorial plaque inside commemorates Joseph Bealey, who openly declared his Unitarian beliefs in April 1813, shortly before the passage of the Doctrine of the Trinity Act later that year.[1]
On 29 July 1966, the Presbyterian Chapel was designated a Grade II* listed building.[2]
Architecture
The building has a domestic appearance, constructed in a rectangular plan with two tiers of three-light chamferedmullioned windows. The pediment above the doorway bears the inscription: "Erected AD 1715. Enlarged 1773. Altered and repaired 1845".[3]
Interior
Internally, the chapel is arranged in a long-wall fashion, with the pulpit on the north wall. A gallery supported by turned wooden columns runs along three sides of the interior, with one column replaced or supplemented by a cast-iron support.[1] The chapel retains box pews,[2] typical of 18th-century nonconformist places of worship.[4]
Burial ground and surroundings
The chapel is situated in the north-west corner of an extensive burial ground, which contains gravestones dating from the 18th and 19thcenturies. Nearby is Hook's Cottage, built in 1773, and the former Reform Club, which provided accommodation for worshippers travelling from afar.[1]
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