The TulipChapel
Visited in summer 2020 after the months of Covid lockdown it was nice to get in the car, pack the sandwiches and multiple filled-up coffee flasks and head on a long road trip down south.
Arriving mid morning in such a tranquil part of England surrounded by countryside the excitement built to actually get my camera gear out once more and get some photographs.
It took a couple of attempts to gain access into the chapel, after the first attempt I went to a second location then headed back here in the late afternoon and managed to go inside.
The chapel is quite beautiful inside and different to others I've photographed. The chairs were still positioned where they would be if there was to be a service along with bibles and other religious artefatcs.
HISTORY (not much can be found, even the key holder isn't aware of any)
(extract from the Baptist Quarterly)
This church claims 1806 as its foundation, but its old Church Book is lost. It is known that Solomon Hawkins
was Pastor and was succeeded by his son, Jabez Hawkins, who had a small farm nearby and journeyed across every Sunday from 1845 to 1857. His successor, Mr. Ganton, baptised sixteen young men and women one Sunday in an open-air baptistry, the water being brought in buckets from the brook a hundred yards away.
The chapel was still being used for services up until June 2012 where it was said:
"The small and friendly congregation meets for worship and preaching of the Word of God on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month at 3:00pm".
However, when it closed for good is not known. I'm guessing it wasn't too long after this date judging by the parlous state of some of the walls inside the chapel.
Since my visit in summer 2020, the chapel has been locked up for visitors who are no longer allowed access.