Forest Chapel
Encyclopedia
Forest Chapel stands in an isolated position in the civil parish of Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough
in Cheshire
, England, within the Peak District
National Park
4.5 miles (7 km) from Macclesfield
. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building. It is an Anglican
church in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Macclesfield. Its benefice
is combined with those of Jenkin Chapel, Saltersford
and Holy Trinity, Rainow.
noted that it was not consecrated. The chapel was almost entirely rebuilt in 1834.
with a Kerridge
stone-slate roof. The nave
and chancel
are in one range of five bays
. On the south wall is a porch. At the west end is a tower with a saddleback roof and there are louvre
s in the bell-openings. The tower contains one bell.
memorial to the memory of Rev Samuel Hall, a former minister of the church. Over the porch doorway is a benefaction board. Built into the east end wall is a stone altar. The east window contains some Victorian
glass. The chapel registers begin in 1759 with some loose sheets dating back to 1746.
Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough
Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the western fringe of the Peak District National park....
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England, within the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
4.5 miles (7 km) from Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building. It is an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Macclesfield. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is combined with those of Jenkin Chapel, Saltersford
Jenkin Chapel, Saltersford
Jenkin Chapel, Saltersford stands in an isolated position on the eastern slopes of the Pennines northeast of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. The chapel lies at the junction of three ancient trackways, known as...
and Holy Trinity, Rainow.
History
The original chapel was built in 1673. In about 1720 Francis Gastrell, Bishop of ChesterBishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
noted that it was not consecrated. The chapel was almost entirely rebuilt in 1834.
Exterior
It is built in sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a Kerridge
Kerridge
Kerridge is a village in Cheshire, England, part of the parish of Bollington. Kerridge borders the neighbouring parish of Rainow.It gives its name to Kerridge Ridge – one of the western foothills of the Pennines – by which it stands. It is overlooked by the local landmark of White Nancy...
stone-slate roof. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
are in one range of five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. On the south wall is a porch. At the west end is a tower with a saddleback roof and there are louvre
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
s in the bell-openings. The tower contains one bell.
Interior
The interior is very plain. On the chancel wall is a white marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
memorial to the memory of Rev Samuel Hall, a former minister of the church. Over the porch doorway is a benefaction board. Built into the east end wall is a stone altar. The east window contains some Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
glass. The chapel registers begin in 1759 with some loose sheets dating back to 1746.