The chapel building.
The chapel is a simple building, believed to have been constructed from local stone. The front elevation is faced with course sandstone blockwork running to gritstone quoins. The walls are some 20” thick. Considering the chapel building is now over 200 years old, from the front it is remarkable for its condition. The main chapel is the two-storey building to the right, and the smaller single-storey building on the left is the old school room, currently used as a showroom by a local cabinet maker, Steve Pickstone.
The graveyard is in a good state of repair and contains the headstones of past generations of farming families, many of whom still live in Edale. The stone marker above the main door says “Wesleyan Methodist Chapel AD MDCCCXI”.
Enter the building and you’ll see that little has changed over the past two centuries. There are varnished wooden pews on both sides, with a single central aisle leading to the front. The balcony above is supported by two pillars. Most of the chapel pews are boxed in with hinged doors. The worship area at the front is a raised and partially enclosed space, with one large organ (not in working order) and a smaller harmonium. Our very fit organist cycles to the chapel to warm up his legs, in order to peddle the harmonium to play the hymns! To the left of the organ is a small table top lectern, inscribed with the date 1837.
The chapel building.
The chapel is a simple building, believed to have been constructed from local stone. The front elevation is faced with course sandstone blockwork running to gritstone quoins. The walls are some 20” thick. Considering the chapel building is now over 200 years old, from the front it is remarkable for its condition. The main chapel is the two-storey building to the right, and the smaller single-storey building on the left is the old school room, currently used as a showroom by a local cabinet maker, Steve Pickstone.
The graveyard is in a good state of repair and contains the headstones of past generations of farming families, many of whom still live in Edale. The stone marker above the main door says “Wesleyan Methodist Chapel AD MDCCCXI”.
Enter the building and you’ll see that little has changed over the past two centuries. There are varnished wooden pews on both sides, with a single central aisle leading to the front. The balcony above is supported by two pillars. Most of the chapel pews are boxed in with hinged doors. The worship area at the front is a raised and partially enclosed space, with one large organ (not in working order) and a smaller harmonium. Our very fit organist cycles to the chapel to warm up his legs, in order to peddle the harmonium to play the hymns! To the left of the organ is a small table top lectern, inscribed with the date 1837.
The chapel building.
The chapel is a simple building, believed to have been constructed from local stone. The front elevation is faced with course sandstone blockwork running to gritstone quoins. The walls are some 20” thick. Considering the chapel building is now over 200 years old, from the front it is remarkable for its condition. The main chapel is the two-storey building to the right, and the smaller single-storey building on the left is the old school room, currently used as a showroom by a local cabinet maker, Steve Pickstone.
The graveyard is in a good state of repair and contains the headstones of past generations of farming families, many of whom still live in Edale. The stone marker above the main door says “Wesleyan Methodist Chapel AD MDCCCXI”.
Enter the building and you’ll see that little has changed over the past two centuries. There are varnished wooden pews on both sides, with a single central aisle leading to the front. The balcony above is supported by two pillars. Most of the chapel pews are boxed in with hinged doors. The worship area at the front is a raised and partially enclosed space, with one large organ (not in working order) and a smaller harmonium. Our very fit organist cycles to the chapel to warm up his legs, in order to peddle the harmonium to play the hymns! To the left of the organ is a small table top lectern, inscribed with the date 1837.
There is good natural light from the original large windows, with plain glass and leading. The chapel is adorned with several memorials, many dedicated to the ancestors of current Edale farming families. A narrow wooden staircase at the back of the chapel leads up to the balcony. The stairs are steep and turn to the right as you climb them.
The chapel’s beautiful gallery has been hidden away from the rest of the chapel for many years by a false ceiling of hardboard. Because of this, the gallery has been rendered unusable and has become more neglected than the rest of the chapel. It has, however, remained virtually untouched with, what we believe, are the original colour scheme and paint treatments. The gallery has stepped tiers with some original pews, although many have been damaged by woodworm.
There is currently no path leading to the rear of the chapel, where the condition of the building is more obviously in need of repair. The small off-shoot is very badly affected by damp, with rotten windows and crumbling plaster. However, the large windows on the main building offer glorious views of Kinder Scout.