Tin Chapel

 Recently I've been on a bit of a local chapel rampage, darting off to different parts of my locality to check out these abandoned places of worship. This one is often described as a tin tabernacle but it seems that only the roof is corrugated metal. It sits isolated in a field with a cute fence preventing access to anyone who can't step over things.

Due to it being so isolated, I wasn't expecting to find much on it at all, but I was surprised! The chapel was built on a big estate in 1894 by a "Lady Palmer" to celebrate the return of a "Roger Palmer" from the Crimean War. They also had a stable yard built, but I won't be showing that. The descendants of the Palmers are very much still occupying the estate. It's just the chapel that is ruined. But thanks to the internet, we can see how it used to look.

 

(Photo not mine, obviously)

It's cute. It still had a fence around the perimeter, but it was wooden and had a gate. 

 

The estate was initially occupied by a Reverend named Nathaniel, and his wife Frances. Nathaniel died in 1841, and Frances, now alone with the house, decided to share it with her sisters. Among them was Eleonora. In 1828, at the age of 33 and with a reputation for being a spinster, Eleonora had decided to elope with a controversial man of choice, at least by the standards of toffs in the 1800s. There was nothing undateable about Roger Palmer by today's standards. He just had mental health issues and epilepsy. The two seemingly knew that their love would not be approved, so they had a quick do at Gretna Green, which I was surprised to learn has been popular with eloping couples since 1710. But just to clarify, this was not the same Roger who fought in the Crimean war. Just like any story with a rich family, names get repeated. But controversy aside, Roger and Eleonora ended up taking over the estate in 1845.   

The Palmers are an interesting brood, primarily occupying land in Ireland. Their linage can be dated back to 1629 when a James Palmer was knighted by Charles, Prince of Wales.

Fucking Hell, is old Sausage Fingers really that old??? No, no, it's a different Charles. Nevermind. 

There's still a bell up in the church tower. Judging by the roof, it's probably going to collapse at some point. Hopefully it can be retrieved and preserved once it comes crashing down.

There are hooks in the entrance, where people would have once hung their coats.

But the chapel interior is pretty bleak.

Regarding this branch of the family, Roger and Eleonora had two children, Roger and Ellen. It's this Roger who would fight in the Crimean war. He was born in 1832, and educated at Eton. He took part in the famous battle, the "charge of the light brigade," a full scale assault against Russian forces in Crimea. His survival is impressive given that this battle was a complete disaster. The Russians had more than adequate defences, and made the opposing forces look a bit daft. But the assault was all down to a miscommunication. Lord Raglan had wanted them to assault a different objective, one which they would have been capable of handling. But due to this miscommunication, he sent a load of men to either their messy end or a rather embarrassing retreat. 

 

During the Crimean War, Roger was also credited with capturing a high ranking Russian officer and taking his sword. 

 

His role in this chapel seems to have been quite active. According to a publication, he not only maintained it, but also carried out services and lessons here. 

 

(Photo of Roger not mine, obviously)

 

So who was the lady who had the church built for him? I only have the title "Lady Palmer" to go by, with no first name. Roger's mother died in 1853, so it can't have been her. That leaves us with just two possibilities- Rogers sister Ellen, or his wife Gertrude.

(Photo of Gertrude not mine, obviously)

Gertrude is the most likely candidate. Being married to the man of the house, she was indeed Lady Palmer at some point, but her attentions seemed to be focused more so on the family estate in Ireland, where Gertrude was notorious for her generosity, taking an active interest in using her wealth to help girls from poor backgrounds achieve their dreams. One such girl is the famous Irish opera singer Margaret Burke Sheridan. Gertrude heard her singing at school, and decided that the youngster had what it takes to go all the way. She funded Margaret's education at the London School of Music, and the singer went on to be quite huge. She returned to give Gertrude a performance once she had made a name for herself.

Another story of Gertrude comes from a woman named Jane Boylan. She was a mother of seven children, but when her husband passed away, she lost her house. Gertrude rocked up with a carriage and a donkey, gave it to Jane for free, along with £100, which was a small fortune back then. Jane Boylan was able to get back on her feet, but had it not been for Gertrude her brood would probably have ended up dying on the streets or something.

Gertrude herself would die in 1929, meaning that in all likelihood, this chapel was her creation. She definitely seems like the sort of person who would make a chapel for someone.

Alas, the pews and the altar are long gone, but there are still a few gems remaining. Check out that stained glass window at the back.

I soon realised that the other lady of the estate, Ellen, couldn't possibly be the Lady Palmer in question, because she died relatively young in 1863 after birthing two children.

 

But I'm going to talk about her anyway because what a life she had! Her diaries were discovered in 2012 by her descendants, after she'd hidden them behind some furniture in the billiards room. One source says they were found in 1989, but that source also says that she died at the age of 33 and then says that she died at the age of 34, a mere paragraph later. I'm well accustomed to finding conflicting information, but when there's conflicting information in the same source, and I can look at both sets of conflicting information without even scrolling, then I'm not inclined to rely too heavily on that source.

 

Either way, Ellen's diaries were discovered, offering a fascinating glimpse into the life of a teenage girl in the 1800s. It may have been her sister-in-law who created this chapel, but Ellen certainly deserves more recognition that she gets. She's been described as intelligent, beautiful, strong willed and musically gifted. She trained herself to be athletic and she took part in many male-dominated sports. Due to her fathers failing health, she pretty much ran the estates, both here and in Ireland. And her diaries, which she maintained daily for several years, go into detail about all of it, right down to the diarrhoea she had during a cholera outbreak in Ireland. During this period, every diary entry names someone that she knows who has been reported dead, and bedridden as she was, she says "Between all things, I just about manage to exist." I actually love that line. It deserves to be quoted.

 

(Photo of Ellen not mine, obviously)

Ellen's motivations in life seem to be largely to find love. She's rich so obviously she wanted a socially advantageous marriage, but clashing with convention, she also wanted to marry for love. Little did she realise, a lot of rich people are wankers. In 1848, after dancing with Napoleon, she fell in love with Count Nils de Barck of Sweden, and I'm not sure what exactly happened there. Some sources say that her feelings were not reciprocated and it broke her heart, but a few have said that many warned her what he was like, and that after they ceased involvement with each other, her chances of getting a husband were lessened. 

So it definitely sounds like they fucked, and he ran off after getting his dick wet, but I might be wrong. I've only read extracts of her diaries, but they have been published and I fully intend on buying them, but at the time of writing an ATM has swallowed my bank card, so that will have to wait.

After the incident with Nils de Barck, Ellen was heartbroken and threw herself into her music. With the additional death of her mother and with Roger in Crimea, she was very lonely. A lot of her friends had put distance between them due to her involvement with Nils de Barck, and she wasn't getting invited out anymore. So she did something completely unexpected for a young woman in the 1800s, and set off for Crimea to be with her brother on the frontline. She and her servants traveled in carriages all the way to Crimea, and she is said to have sat at the front with a pistol in her hand for every waking moment of the journey. The frontline of a war was perhaps no place for a woman, at least not in the 1800s, but the embassy was so astonished that she'd made the journey that they permitted her to stay. Her diaries tell of how she dined with her brother in his tent, entertained the likes of Lord Cardigan and Lord Raglan, and she also describes the dead horses that littered the landscape after each battle. But it was because of her insistence on going to Crimea that led her to meet Archibald Peel, the nephew of the Prime Minister Robert Peel. They fell in love and married in 1857. They lived happily ever after, at least until Ellen's unfortunate demise in her early thirties. 

But it can't be said that she didn't make the most out of her short life! Seriously, why isn't there a Disney movie about this woman? Her whole story sounds like a fairy tale.

 

Much to my delight, the chapel still has an old organ here, rotting away.

 

 

It's non-functional, but could it be restored? Why hasn't it been rescued?

 

So, it must have been Gertrude who had the chapel built, and Roger maintained it. Ellen never got to see it, but she did have two daughters, Also Ellen, and Mary. They likely did spend time in this chapel, given that their family owned the land. I did wonder briefly if Mary, who inherited the land, was the "Lady Palmer" in question, but I doubt it. Not only was Roger still alive when the chapel was built, but Mary married into the Fenwick family in 1891, meaning she wouldn't be using her maiden name. 

 Roger passed away in 1910, Mary inherited the estate, even though Gertrude didn't pass away until 1929. Mary's son Roderick later inherited it all. He fought in the first world war and apparently had some pretty horrific scars from shrapnel. 

 

 Roderick trained race horses, including one called Eternal, who came fourth in the 1964 grand national. It's said that in 1964 he left the Irish estate for good in order to spend his last years here. He didn't like dressing up and as such he was often mistaken for the common folk. In all likelihood he did attend this chapel. He owned it, after all. 

The chapel was allegedly still being used long into the late 20th Century, with people still alive today recalling Sunday School, Christmas and Easter services, as well as the Harvest Festival, which was incredibly popular, what with the chapel being surrounded by farming communities. 

It baffles me somewhat, because the estate is still in the hands of Ellen's descendants. I don't understand how or why it's become so neglected.

At the back of the chapel is the remains of a stained glass window.

 

Or at least, I think it's stained glass. It doesn't seem to be of the same quality as the kind seen in larger churches, but it's definitely artistic. Unfortunately some panes are already missing, having been smashed. It's a shame really. I'm not religious, but I still appreciate the artistic effort that goes into such things.

 

But that's about it for this chapel. I would absolutely love to see this place restored. I think the history of the Palmer family is really interesting, with some fantastic characters that I can't help but be a little inspired by, and with my temptation to go to Ireland ever increasing, I have a funny feeling I'll be talking about their family again someday. 

If you plan on visiting this chapel, it's easy to access, but be aware that even farting inside could bring it crashing down. It is cute though. It's a shame it's ust rotting away, and any chapel enthusiasts might want to see it before it's gone for good. Just be respectful. 

My next blogs will be on the travel blog. One is an abandoned house with an utterly cringe-worthy nickname, and then I'll be doing a rooftopping blog from Birmingham. It will be awesome. In the meantime, for regular updates about the blog, I'm active on Instagram, Reddit, and sometimes Facebook and Twitter, so following those is perhaps the best way to see if there are any new blog posts. Although the algorithms suck, so good luck!

Thanks for reading!