West Orchard Congregational Chapel

I have a family diary of 1863 - all the family were members of the chapel and attended every Sunday. I have done research on the preacher at this time, Rev Edward Delf - has anybody done research on the chapel or are any descendants of Edward Delf?

There is quite a long chapter about the chapel in Taunton's "History of Coventry" 1870. There was a chapel there from 1777 but the original one which was situated behind old tenements became dilapidated and inadequate for requirements so I was taken down in 1820. A new chapel designed by Mr Stedman Whitwell, architect, was built. This chapel had an imposing appearance. It had a stuccoed front, a flight of broad stone steps in the centre, outside with a dwarf wall, led up to the approaches to the galleries on either side, through ballustraded porticoes, and the old tenements to the street being removed brought the smart exterior of the new chapel into full view. Mr Edward Hickman Delf, a student at Coward College, London, was appointed co-paster to Mr John Jerard who had a perilous sea-faring missionary life and was destined to pass a more quiet life in Coventry. Mr Jerard died in 1851 aged 75 and Mr Delf continued as minister. It says in the book he still continues (1870).

I can't speak of its quality but there is a repro book about the chapel at Amazon (I assume that you know of it). Centenary Celebration of West Orchard Chapel, Coventry (Paperback) There are images in the library collection and elsewhere of the chapel.

This may be of use - West Orchard Parish Registers

Thanks for that. I now have the download.

Thanks. I have been trying to get one but out of stock. I do have some photos including one of Edward Delf.

This is probably my favourite Sadler photo and possibly the eldest I've seen, as it is from before the war. It is the West Orchard Congregational Chapel (or whatever it was called just before the war) and was destroyed, along with its neighbours. It's also the finest image of the building I've seen.

Thank you for posting this wonderful photo of the West Orchard Chapel. Many of my Dorrington ancestors were baptized there around the turn of the 19th century and I had no idea it was so imposing. Any idea when it was built?

I don't really know Primrose. It was there in 1807 but it had a different look. I'm not sure if it was a complete rebuild or just a refurb.

Thanks, Helen. The earlier version was impressive as well, it appears. In my ignorance I had been imagining a bit of a hole in the wall establishment!

I suppose it depends how far back you go. That last picture says that it was the chapel before rebuilding in 1820 but the floor plan in 1850 looks identical so I think that picture might be the 1820 rebuild. The 1807 map looks like it occupied a bit smaller footprint but it's a very crude map. The Sadler version looks like it was the same building with a new front.

Hi Helen & Primrose. There has been a chapel there since 1777, the original one became dilapidated and was pulled down, which must be the Sadler one. If you look at my post number 2 on here Taunton described the chapel with the stone steps and walls at the front so I think that is the later one built in 1820. The building was sold off in 1937. On the pictures on Coventry Digital showing the building on its last legs, you can see the shape of the curved window, just, what a comedown for such a lovely building. I do wish "Britain from above" would get up and running again!

Thanks Anne I don't think we know what the 1777 one looked like. The Sadler photo is the last version before it was bombed. I don't know when it was modified but the changes where there on the 1888 map.

Reported in the Banbury Guardian, October 1889. A fete was held in the Corn Exchange called "Venetian Fete and Fancy Fair" to raise funds for the extension and renovation of West Orchard Congregational Chapel. They raised £936 (about £128,000 today).

I think we've discussed before but I can't recall the answer. The Cov Digital images of the Chapel reference it with these posts of Hanson's but I can't make out where it would be in comparison with the earlier shot Helen posted? This one shows a date on the building as 1936.