Background
The Old Chapel is one of the oldest buildings in Upminster dating back to 1800, before the construction of Upminster Windmill but still with connections to James Nokes who funded both the building of the Windmill and the Old Chapel and was a member of the Chapel congregation. The Abrahams family who worked the Mil were also members of the Chapel congregation It was built as a ‘Protestant Dissenters’ chapel and was used up until 1912 by the Congregational Church who moved into new and biger premises in Station Road just before the start of World War 1. A Plymouth Brethren congregation took over the premises in 1912 and occupied and used the building until 1988.
The Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School acquired the Old Chapel in 2005 when it was in a state of dilapidation and on the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ Register. From the date of acquisition up until 2011 when renovation works began, the Project Manager appointed from the Senior Leadership Team at the School, Stuart Beck, worked with personnel at the London Office of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and with professional consultants to put together a bid for an HLF grant of almost £700k and to raise a further £400k from other sources. Renovation work started in 2011 and the building was officially opened in March 2013 as a chapel for the School as a worshipping community as well as a historical resource and venue for local community activity.
Further information about the history and pictures of the Chapel is given in the final section below
Hire of the Premises
The Chapel can be hired for use by community groups and enquiries should be addressed to Mrs Linda Austin at the School by telephone (01708 222660 – Finance – Option 5) or by emaiI [email protected].
Friends of the Old Chapel
The Friends of Upminster Old Chapel (the Friends) was formed just before renovation work started in the early 2010s as part of the Activity Plan approved and supported by HLF. The Friends have a committee that organises various events in support of the Chapel, its heritage as well as the general promotion of topics of local, historical interest. The main work of the committee is focused on raising funds for the upkeep of the Old Chapel. Newsletters are produced as and when needed and a monthly ‘tea and talk’ programme is organised. The Friends also administer the membership list and membership currently costs £10 a year.
To contact the Friends, please use the following e-mail address [email protected]
The latest newsletter produced by the Friends is provided here:
NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER 2024
Teas & Talks
Venue: Roope Hall, Trinity Church, Station Road, Upminster
Wednesday 8th January 2025
Dying within the Sound of Bow Bells
John Harris, Senior Partner at T Cribb, will talk about The History of Undertaking in the East End.
Wednesday 12th February 2025
Brentwood: from Roman Road to Army Town
Geoff Rudd from the town’s museum explores the history of Brentwood through the centuries.
Wednesday 12th March 2025
Bomber Command
Following Peter Owen’s previous talk on RAF Hornchurch, he now looks at the role of Bomber Command during World War II.
Doors open at 10am – talk starts at 10.30am
£2 supplement for members
£4 admission for non-members
Tea and coffee served at the end of the meeting.
The Old Chapel
No news yet on when we can return on a permanent basis so for the time being we will continue to meet at Roope Hall, Trinity Church.
However, we are focused on supporting the Old Chapel and have recently released funds to cover the costs of cleaning the gutters on the building and a contribution to the replacement of emergency lighting.
Thank you to all members and visitors for your support of the Teas & Talks programme – the surplus funds generated go towards the refurbishment of the Old Chapel.
Regards,
The Committee
Email: [email protected]
