PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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THE IRON CHAPEL As the Presbyterian congregation in the Three Towns was composed mainly of soldiers, sailors and servants of the Crown employed in the Royal Dockyard, it was considered important that a permanent place of worship be erected as close to the barracks and arsenals as possible. The Government were approached for a site but without success. They eventually found a piece of freehold ground at Eldad, between the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Anglican Church of St Peter, for which they paid £600. Upon that site the Presbyterians engaged Messrs S C Heming & Company, of 21 Moorgate Street, London, to erect their first proper chapel. Work started in mid October 1861. It was known as the iron chapel because the whole of its exterior was constructed of corrugated iron. The style was as near to Gothic as working in iron could achieve. It is understood that it was designed by two or three members of the congregation who had an engineering background. The interior was lined with wood, that around the walls being papered, stained, and painted sop as to give it the appearance of an ordinary stone or brick-built chapel. The excavations for the foundations and initial stonework were carried out by Mr Wilcocks, of Saltash, Cornwall, at a cost of £600. The cost of the chapel, including vestries and seating for almost 700 worshippers, was £1,600. Gas fittings were installed by Mr Vickary, of Exeter, at a cost of £40 and Mrs Moir, of Plymouth, fixed the iron railings around the outside at a cost of £60. The total cost was thus £2,900. Externally, the building was 80 feet long by 60 feet wide, including the vestries. The entrance porch measured 10 feet square. Ample room was left beneath the chapel for the construction of schools at a later date. Internally, there was a central nave with two aisles. On either side of the nave were octagonal cast iron columns supporting the roof, which was also constructed of iron with wood lining. The Chapel was opened for worship on Wednesday February 5th 1862. Although it could accommodate between 600 and 700 people, it was soon found that it could not hold both the civilian and military worshippers at the same time so a special service was held in the mornings specifically for the military personnel so that more space was free later for civilian worshippers. The chaplain, the Reverend Joseph Wood, was evidently a very popular gentleman and the congregation continued to outgrow the building. Shortly after this the Chapel was transferred to the Presbyterian Church of England. With the iron chapel failing to meet the needs of an ever increasing congregation, the decision was taken to erect a larger, more impressive and more permanent place for worship. The Wyndham Street Presbyterian Chapel was the result.
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