Patrick Comerford
During my walks through the villages of Stoke Bruerne and Shutlanger and through the Northamptonshire countryside last week and the week before, I also visited the former Wesleyan Methodist in both Stoke Bruerne and Shutlanger.
A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built at Shutlanger in 1844 and a chapel was built in Stoke Bruerne two years later in 1846. Both chapels were registered in 1854.
The chapel in Shutlanger had seating for 130 people in 1873, but the chapel in Stoke Bruerne could only accommodate 80 people.
The smaller chapel in Stoke Bruerne was replaced in 1879 by a new chapel, built at a cost of £250 on land given by George Savage, whose nearby brickyard supplied the bricks. It was built by local labour, mainly by men who worked on the land during the daytime.
The foundation stone for the chapel in Chapel Lane was laid on 13 August 1879, and it opened for worship on New Year's Day 1880. The new chapel in Stoke Bruerne which could hold 150 people. The façade displays the date 1879 carved in stone, although any other words that might have been around it have been obscured. The earlier chapel, built in 1846, was later used as a schoolroom.
The trustees of the Stoke Bruerne chapel in 1922 were drawn from Stoke Bruerne and Shutlanger, and from neighbouring communities, including Blakesley, Greens Norton, Bradden, Hartwell, Silverstone, Alderton, Caldecote and Towcester.
Major repairs were carried out on the chapel and the schoolrooms in 1947-1952, including the installation of electricity. However, it was agreed in 1961 to sell the schoolroom and use the proceeds to improve the chapel.
The closure of the chapel in Stoke Bruerne and the transfer of members to Roade or Shutlanger was first suggested by the circuit quarterly meeting in May 1974. This was opposed by people who wished to keep a free church presence in what was an expanding village. But the decision to sell the building was carried by a majority of one, with two abstentions, at a meeting of seven trustees in November 1974.
The chapel closed as a place of worship in 1975 and was sold for £4,550 early in 1976. By then, the remaining members had moved to Shutlanger.
The former chapel was converted to a Farm Museum, displaying old farm equipment and live demonstrations of its uses. The Farm Museum was closed in 1993 and was converted into tea rooms and a café, expanding later into the fully licensed restaurant.
It is now called ‘The Old Chapel’ and offers boutique bed and breakfast accommodation. The property has been restored by the owners Elaine and Nadia Pieris and offers three individual suites. It boasts a garden and is next to the Canal Museum, and the Grand Union Canal provides a backdrop for exploring the local countryside and the local pubs and restaurants.
The chapel in Shutlanger was enlarged in 1889, with seating for 160 people.
The trustees of the Shutlanger chapel in 1917 included trustees were from Shutlanger and Stoke Bruerne, as well trustees from Ashton, Roade, Silverstone, Towcester, Wood Burcote and Greens Norton.
The congregation moved for a time in 1922 to the school-chapel belonging to the Church of England while the chapel was closed for major repairs, costing nearly £100.
Further work on the chapel ceiling began in 1933 and was completed five years later. By 1938, all the trustees were from Shutlanger and none from neighbouring communities.
The roof continued to cause problems and in 1948 the congregation agreed to take down the 1889 extension, then used as a schoolroom, and to restore the chapel to its original size and shape. The interior was redecorated and electricity was installed. During these works, the congregation once again worshipped in the Anglican church room. The chapel reopened in June 1949, with seating for 100 people.
The chapel in Shutlanger continued in use over the following 30 years. It was joined by members of the former Stoke Bruerne chapel when it closed in 1975. A decade later, however, Shutlanger also closed. The carved communion table was presented to the Methodist Church in Roade.
The former Methodist chapel in Shutlanger was later used as a book repository, and is now a private house.
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