PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The vicar of Eggbuckland Church, the Reverend Charles Edgar Turner, had long felt the need for a chapel in the hamlet of Crabtree, which lay on the main road in and out of Plymouth. No public appeal was ever made but he eventually raised privately the sum needed to commence the building work. In the construction of the building there was no attempt by the architect, Mr A G Clifton, of Devonport, at ornamentation and as a result it was a plain Gothic structure built of local stone, with tuck-point joints of Portland cement. It stood on a prominent piece of high ground, overlooking the river, railway and main road. The land had been given by the War Department, which owned the nearby Efford Fort. The Chapel was erected over a seven month period by Mr T Hoskin/Hosking, of St Budeaux, at a cost of £529. The total cost inclusive of internal fittings was about £700, of which the Reverend Turner had raised about half. Opened on the morning of Wednesday November 11th 1874, the building was capable of accommodating around 180 people and it was hoped that the soldiers from the Fort would also attend the services there. Benches that were easily convertible into seats and desks had been installed so that the Chapel could also be used as by the 200 or so children from the Laira Green British School, which had been displaced from their cramped premises down by the waterside. During school hours the chancel could be shut off from the rest of the building by means of folding doors. Although it was a mixed school, there were separate entrances for boys and girls. At the opening service the sermon was preached by the Venerable Archdeacon Earle, 'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you' (Corinthians Chapter 3 verse 16). The Mission was served by the Vicar of Eggbuckland until 1887 when Mr John Mackay Hodge, a school-master, became the curate-in-charge. "To the Glory of God, and in Memory of Charles Edgar Turner, vicar of this Parish" read the inscription on the front of a new carved oak pulpit which was dedicated in the crowded Crabtree Mission Chapel on Saturday September 7th 1902. The Reverend Turner had, as related earlier, been the founder of this small Chapel. The pulpit was designed by architect, Mr T R Kitsell. The Late Gothic octagonal body of the pulpit rested upon eight exposed constructional timbers, with little carved and pierced foliated tracery springing from the top, which in turn were mounted on an oak platform. The upper portion was divided into panelling with cuspid heads, two panels in each bay of the octagon. Four of the panels were painted with figures of Angels in varying acts of prayer and praise, which gave light, colour and religious feeling. The dedication was done by the then vicar of Eggbuckland, the Reverend A F Baker. By April of 1949 the Mission Hall was being used as a store on a quarterly tenancy of £60 per annum expiring on June 24th. This freehold plot of approximately 7,200 square feet had stout stone walls and a slated roof. The main hall was stated to be 45 feet by 21 foot 7 inches. The former chancel measured 16 feet 3 inches by 13 feet 11 inches. The vestry was 8 feet by 6 feet 4 inches. It was offered for sale by auction, upon the instructions of the Trustees, on Thursday April 21st 1949 at 5.30pm. The auctioneers were Messrs Taylor, Son and Creber.
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