Building record MDO17984 - Ebenezer Chapel, Cripplestyle, Alderholt

A meeting house built in the early nineteenth century, but which collapsed in 1976. The building had walls of cob and brick, and a thatched roof.

<1> DOE (HHR), 1951, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Wimborne and Cranborne RD, 1 (Scheduling record). SDO17339.

<2> Smith-Gordon, L, 1967, Ebenezer Chapel, Cripplestyle (Monograph). SDO18266.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 1-2 (Monograph). SDO129.

'EBENEZER CHAPEL (09061211), at Cripplestyle, nearly 1 mile S.W. of (1), has walls of cob and of brick, and a thatched roof. It is of considerable interest as a little changed example of a simple rural meeting-house of the early 19th century. The building was opened for worship in 1807 and was extended eastwards and provided with galleries at two periods during the 19th century. In 1888 it was superseded by a new chapel some 300 yds. to the N., but the old building continues to be used occasionally. The E. front, which alone is brick-faced, has a segmental-headed doorway and in the upper part a plain three-light window with timber surrounds and leaded glazing. The S. windows, similar to that on the E., have two-centred heads and are each of two pointed lights with a spandrel light. The corresponding N. widows are also similar, but square-headed to allow room for the soffit of the gallery inside; the window beside the gallery stairs is segmental-headed.

Inside, the fittings are extremely plain. The hexagonal pulpit on the W. is of deal, with panelled sides and with a plain flight of stairs with a moulded handrail. The galleries rest on chamfered wooden posts. The E. gallery has a panelled front; that on the N. is boarded.'

<4> Stell, C, 1991, An Inventory of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting-Houses in South-West England, 104 (Monograph). SDO11597.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213719 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 19 2022 1:51PM