Chowbent Chapel - Architecture

Architecture

The chapel dates from 1721 on land donated by Nathan Mort of neighbouring Alder House It is built in rustic brick, in Flemish bond on a rubble sandstone plinth, with stone quoins, an eaves cornice and a slate roof. The side elevations have three bays and the rear four bays, both have round-arched windows. On the roof is a small cupola housing a single bell. A two-storey extension was added on the south side in 1901. Its facade has a gable pediment with an oculus within the tympanum. There is a fanlight above the double doors with a sundial above and a commemorative plaque above that.

Nikolaus Pevsner considers the chapel "has the best-preserved C18 ecclesiastical interior in South Lancashire". The original box pews are in place upstairs and down, there is a three tier pulpit on the north wall. The galleries on the east, south and west sides are accessed by staircases with turned balusters. The galleries are supported by six turned Doric oak columns which continue through the gallery to support the plaster ceiling. A nail studded oak door separating the chapel from the vestry is thought to be from the original 1645 chapel. Other surviving artefacts brought from the 1645 building are the communion table and two Commonwealth silver communion cups gifted by Robert Mort in 1654. The cups are not kept at the chapel and are rarely displayed. Some of the stained glass windows are by Shrigley and Hunt.

When newly built, the chapel's oak rafters and trusses were open to view, its walls were whitewashed and and the windows contained leaded panes of clear glass set in a lozenge pattern. An organ was installed in 1806 as up to then the only music was the chanting of psalms. An organ by Young of Manchester was installed in 1901 when the chapel was enlarged.