User:RayLydgate/sandbox/Lydgate Unitarian Chapel

'Lydgate Unitarian Chapel' new article content ... aka the English Presbyterian Church at Fulstone, is a former Presbyterian, now Unitarian Chapel, in the village of New Mill, Holmfirth near Huddersfield. It is a Grade 2 Listed Building. History The founders of the Chapel met in the house of John Armitage in the 17th Century. That house was demolished in the 1840s. The founders took advantage of the Act of Toleration to open a small chapel in 1689. The very first service in March 1689 was taken by Oliver Heywood. The congregation's theology changed from Presbyterianism to Unitarianism over the 18th Century. In the 19th Century the chapel had an exterior entrance and belfry attached c 1848. Architecture Exterior To quote from the English Heritage website ' Slate roof with gable copings on kneelers.Gable frontage to cupola with ball finial. Small window to each side.' Interior Box pews, two with pew rent medallions. Large pulpit. The walls are lined with memorials to past Ministers and local families, such as the Moorhouses and the Morehouses. Also plaques to more recent deceased members. There is a mezzanine floor, supported on wooden pillars, to house the organ. Present organ installed in the 1920s. See Also. The Parsonage, opened in 1841, is also a Grade 2 Listed Building, List Entry Number 1287479. It is now a private house and not open to the public. The schoolroom, opened in 1911, is claimed to be one of the first flat roofed buildings in England. It is also listed, List Number 1134845. Present Status. A very small congregation means that the Chapel is not open for regular Sunday services. It is usually open over Heritage Day weekends. It can also be used for weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies. THe Chapel website gives contact details. Draft requires references, chapel address and contact details.