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 – FEBRUARY 2025

We are taking this opportunity to share some information with you for this year.

We are now in our fourth year of using Roope Hall as our ‘temporary’ meeting place, while the building movement at the Old Chapel is monitored, in the hope that a decision will soon be taken on how best to address the issues. We will have an update about any progress at the AGM in June. However, we should acknowledge how fortunate we have been to have the use of Roope Hall and its convenient location.

Meanwhile, we are focused on supporting the Old Chapel and have recently released funds towards the costs of updating the emergency lighting system.

Thank you to all members and visitors for your support of the Teas & Talks programme – the surplus funds generated go towards the refurbishment and upkeep of the Old Chapel.

Membership Fees 2025/2026

Annual membership fee £10 will be due on 1st April and can be paid at the Teas & Talks meetings in April (cash or cheque) or direct to our bank account:

              Account name:              Friends of the Old Chapel

              Sort Code:                      30-14-24

              Account number:         22636468

              Amount:                         £10

              Reference                       Please quote your surname and post code

Many thanks to members who renew annually by standing order – this is appreciated.

AGM

This year’s AGM will be held on Wednesday 11th June at 10.30am followed by our usual Teas & Talks.

Nominations for the committee are welcome – Chairman, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Programme Secretary & Membership secretary as well as general committee members.

The Financial Statement for the year ended 31st March 2025 and other documents will be forwarded prior to the meeting.

Teas & Talks April to May (other months’ speakers being booked – details to follow)

Doors Open at 10.00 am

Start at 10.30 am

Refreshments served after the talk at about 11.30

Wednesday 9th April  –  Every picture tells a story –  Chris White lecturer in art history will talk about the hidden stories and meanings under a picture’s surface

Wednesday 14th May – Favourite Havering Images – Simon Donoghue, Local History Librarian has chosen some of his favourite images from Havering’s Local Studies Library to share with us.

Teas & Talks – Refreshments Team Rota

Could we please ask for a few more volunteers to join our team serving refreshments at the Teas & Talks? Volunteers share the task on a rota basis – your help would be very welcome! Please speak to us at the Teas & Talks or email us.   Thank you

 

The Committee

Email: [email protected]