The Pastel Chapel

As a few of you will know, I love old mines. They were a long-term ambition on this blog, and I did eventually get to write about some here in Shropshire. Shortly after I did a few more elsewhere. They're very cool, and addictive, so naturally I decided to look for more. It was mapping out local mine shafts that led me to accidentally discovering this disused chapel, likely used by the miners back in the day. I decided to swing by and check it out.

It's really cute inside, but lacking any of its former pews. The central carpet remains, with its adorable "Nans House" vibe.

Over by the remains of the pulpit there are a few more bits left over, which is quite nice. I'm glad it's not just a featureless shell. I'm also weirdly fond of the green and pink pastel colour scheme. It's like being in an old Poppy video. 

While I haven't seen it specified in any official sources, it seems to me that this was likely attended by miners, given that the mine industry was in full swing at the time. In fact in this particular area it was undergoing something of a resurgence, having stopped in 1785, and restarting again first in the 1820s and then in 1862. The local newspaper in June of 1865 told of how the chapels very first foundation stone was laid here, and how there was something of a party to celebrate that this tiny rural area was finally getting a place of worship, with a collection plate being passed around to gather the funds.

Apparently for the occasion they set up a very large tent, borrowed from a chap from Clun. Tea was available for the congregation, which was addressed by a Rev Webster of Congleton. Congleton is out beyond Stoke-on-Trent so it seems a bit unusual that he should be here. Keep in mind, transport in 1865 wasn't what it is today. Today Rev Webster can make the trip in an hour and a half (after you've dug him up, of course), but there wasn't any motorised transport back then. It's a little surprising that someone would make that trip for such a small chapel. In fact, even the chap from Clun had a bit of a trek, and the lady who laid the first foundation stone came from somewhere near Bridgnorth. 

 

Nevertheless, the event allegedly attracted three hundred people. That might not sound like much, but it definitely looks like it exceeds the chapels capacity. More people showed up to celebrate its construction than could ever possibly fit inside it. Also worth noting is that according to the 2011 census, the local area surrounding the chapel only had a population of 76. What's going on?

I know there's a huge space of time between 1865 and 2011, but could the population have seen such a staggering reduction? All these fleshbags talk about is shooting their DNA into each other.

 

So how the Hell (sorry, God) was the ceremonious laying of a foundation stone for a tiny rural chapel such a people magnet? It was clearly in high demand, and the only reason that sounds even remotely logical is the abundance of mines in the area at the time. But that's just my theory.

Despite the majority of the chapel being cleared out, this little beauty is still here, making the chapel not entirely featureless.

 

But it seems the chapel is a shadow of its former self. Despite its small size and rural location, the local rag spoke very fondly of it throughout the 1860s, expressing how happy everyone was that they finally had a substantial chapel, for just a measly £180. But don't get too excited. According to the Bank of England, that was the equivalent of nearly £17,900 back in 1865. 

 

I was initially confused when the local papers said that this is the only chapel in the area, given that there is a tin tabernacle just up the road, and it shows up on OS maps from the 1890s, but some quick digging confirmed that it had only gone up in the 1880s, after the article praising this chapel had been published. The tin one is still being used today, albeit sparingly, and it's surprisingly pretty inside. But I bet it didn't have such a great construction party!

Up above what was once the pulpit are the words "Reverence my sanctuary." 

Religious places are, shall we say, ironic in their slogans. The ones that say "God Loves" slay me, given that in the bible he actually does very little of that. Here the irony is a little more on the nose, given that this sanctuary has not been revered in some time. 

The poster has one of those classic Jesus slogans. We get it, he's better than us. Can we move on now?

These cushions have sat here for so long that cobwebs have grown between them.

I don't have an exact date of closure for the chapel, but it was said to be open in 2000 and closed in 2012. This toilet paper is dated 2001, which certainly seems to indicate that this was the year that the chapel was last used, although we can't be certain.

I did read that all of the tiny chapels in this area had their own little church camps, often consisting of camp-themed worship in a field, with music, and snacks. This chapel was apparently one of the few in the area to retain its bible camp into the late 20th Century, after many others in the area stopped happening, which is kinda wholesome, if you like bible camp.

Now onto my kind of wholesome!

There's a door in the ground! How exciting! I sure hope "Reverence my sanctuary" includes having an erection.

I lifted the door aside and decided to have a peek.

It's nothing too exciting, unfortunately. It's a cellar built into the buildings foundation, and it's basically a crawlspace. I wasn't about to go down there, nor did I need to, given that I could see it all just by hanging my head over and shining a torch around. Had anyone walked into the chapel at that moment, they would have just seen my arse up in the air with my head in the ground, like a hot satanic ostrich.

Over by the wall appears to be some wooden steps, which is interesting. The pulpit platform has steps on the right but not on the left. Presumably at some point it was symmetrical, but the stairs on one side were taken off and thrown down here. 

Back to the surface!

There's an old hymn sheet here. Personally I find hymn music to be quite lifeless and dull. Are people really celebrating their faith this way? Would they not get into Heaven if it was a little more upbeat?

And aside from Spider-Zilla over here, I think that's about it.

After its closure there were plans to convert the small chapel into a house. It's presumably during this time that the pews were removed in preparation. But then planning permission was denied, allegedly due to the local drains already working at full capacity, and not wanting an additional human residence to clog the pipes. From that point on, the chapel seems to have fallen into ambition limbo, with the clearing out paused, and the work never to be done.

 

This place made for a cute excursion. In spite of the lack of pews, I still liked it. And with it being something I found by accident, that makes it a bit more gratifying. I don't know why people in the urbex scene beg for locations when finding them brings about its own rewards. I was looking for mines, and I found this little gem. I call that a win. It's just a shame that it's now gathering dust and slowly rotting away. It would be nice to see it restored and given new life, and it's not exactly in a dire state of dereliction, so that is a realistic possibility.

That's all I've got. I'll be focusing my attention on the international blog for a bit, talking about an abandoned pottery death trap, and some sort of college building that I think has more of a story to it than I initially thought. That should be fun to research! In the meantime, follow me on various social media platforms. I'm most active on Instagram, but I also post on Reddit, and Twitter, and because I just love self harm, Facebook. 

Thanks for reading!