Toxteth Unitarian Chapel is in Park Road, Dingle, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Since the 1830s it has been known as The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth. and continues to be used as a Unitarian chapel.

History

In 1611 a group of Puritan farmers built a school in Toxteth and appointed Richard Mather, at the age of 15, as its master. He then went to Brasenose College, Oxford to continue his education but he was asked to return to Toxteth. By this time the chapel had been built

Description

The chapel is built in stone with a slate roof. It has two storeys and a western extension with a projecting bay. The windows are round-headed with stone surrounds. At the west end are paired round-headed entrances with a commemorative plaque and three windows above them. At the south end is a small octagonal cupola with louvres and a button finial. The interior has the pulpit at the east end, galleries on three sides, and box pews throughout. The north and south galleries date from the 17th century and connecting gallery is from the 18th century. Two of the box pews are dated 1650 and 1700.

The chapel contains a memorial plaque dedicate to Jeremiah Horrocks, a 17th-century astronomer. Horrocks was the first person to accurately predict the transit of Venus and was a member of the chapel.

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File:Tercentenary tablet, Ancient Chapel of Toxteth.jpg|Plaque above the door of the Chapel

File:Schoolhouse, Ancient Chapel of Toxteth.jpg|The schoolhouse next to the chapel

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See also

  • Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool
  • Grade I listed churches in Merseyside
  • Ullet Road Unitarian Church

References

Bibliography

  • The Historic Chapels Trust
  • Emigrants from Liverpool, with reference to Richard Mather
  • Mather family history