HORBURY CHAPEL
Stands at the fork of two roads—the Kensington-park-road and Ladbroke-road—and looks effective and well, which is partly owing to its open position, and partly to the grey and sombre appearance of the stone of which it is built, and rendered darker, too, by the effect of London atmosphere and a little age. The detail is not very good. The south front is the principal feature, composed of a high-pitched gable and two square flanking towers and dwarf tile spires. The towers are relieved with windows, simple arcade work, weather bands and strings, and oversailing and corbelled courses, and each has a gallery entrance. The gable has a terminal with a large window of fair design, and divided into four lights. The chief entrance to the chapel is also in this front, approached by steps. The interior is simple—roofed in one span with light open timbers, and ribs on stone corbels. Galleries on iron columns surround three sides of the chapel, parts of which in the transepts are set apart for the schools, a large pulpit and railed platform, with table and stalls, is at the north end, and the body of the chapel is filled with close pews.
The Horbury Chapel and congregation date from the year 1849; and the 21st year of their existence was celebrated in 1870 by the erection of side galleries and by other improvements, at a cost of about 950l. Horbury Chapel enterprise was an off-shoot from Hornton-street Congregational Church, under the care of the Rev. Dr. Stoughton. The Rev. W. Roberts, B.A., is the minister, and enjoys the reputation of an able and judicious pastor of his flock. There is accommodation for nearly 1,000 worshippers, and the congregation averages from 550 to 650. The pew-rents yield about 500l. per annum, and the weekly offerings 120l. There are excellent day-schools attached, with 400 children on the books, and an attendance of 300; also a Sunday-school, with an attendance of about 200. There is an out-school, too, in Notting-dale, with 115 under instruction and a ragged-school in Ernest-street, which is eminently useful in collecting together a class of children who would not otherwise be cared for. 100 are in attendance at the infant day-school, and 50 at the night school, and there are 50 in a Sunday-night school. There is a penny bank established in connection with the ragged-school, and last year there were deposits to the amount of 278l. 8s. 10d. At a mothers’ meeting there are usually in attendance thirty persons. Following the example of the parent congregational church in Hornton-street, the Horbury is aggressive in its labours. The increasing population about Acton has attracted its attention. A new chapel is built there, and it is hoped that a large congregation will shortly be gathered into it. There is a tract society—the useful labours of which deserve notice; besides which and its other home enterprises the Horbury congregation contributes sums of various amount to the London City Mission, the British Missions, the Foreign Sailors’ Society, the London Missionary Society, and the Evangelisation of the Jews Society. There is much that is gratifying about the unobtrusive Christian character and efforts of this church, for which every Christian mind must pray them “God speed.”
The services are: Lord’s-day, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. (Young Women’s Bible-class), and 6.30 p.m. Holy Communion, first Sunday in the month, after the morning service, and on the third Sunday, after the evening service. Wednesday evening at 7, an expository lecture, followed by a Psalmody-class, to practise anthems and tunes. Prayer and church meetings at stated times. There are six deacons, Messrs. Coats, Cullingford, Holt, E. Nash, Starkey (Mrs. S.), and Walton.
DENBIGH ROAD WESLEYAN CHAPEL.
The Wesleyan Chapel situate in the Denbigh-road, Notting-hill, is the principal chapel of what is marked on the Methodist Conference plan as the Bayswater Circuit. It was built in the year 1858, after the designs of W. W. Pocock, Esq., architect, and is a fair specimen of the Grecian style. In no religious body do tastes as to ecclesiastical architecture vary more than among the Wesleyans. Some prefer the Gothic of the thirteenth century, others the decorated Gothic of the fourteenth. Some adopt the perpendicular of a still later date, whilst others hold to the Grecian, which was the style in which Mr. Wesley himself built. The Wesleyans of Bayswater have followed the original Connexional pattern, but have erected a very neat edifice, which would be more effective as an ornament to the neighbourhood but that its front falls slightly behind the line of houses amidst which it stands, and cannot be seen except in close proximity. The interior arrangement is noticeable for its combined utility and elegance. The seats on the ground-floor are arranged in the amphitheatre style, and all made to converge to the pulpit, so that every hearer directly faces the preacher, and the latter has the most perfect command of all his audience. There are galleries on three sides, and in the west gallery is a good organ with ornamental pipes, played by Mr. Brocklehurst, and a numerous choir of young persons of both sexes, whose singing is lively and animating, the tunes being such as the congregation can join in, and which it does with remarkable freedom and spirit. The chapel has recently been repainted, and decorated very tastefully by Mr. Hearne of London, at a cost of 450l. The occasion of our visit, Sunday, September 10, 1871, was also the occasion of the re-opening after a closing of five weeks for this purpose. The work is done in white and gold, and the gilt on the columns, gallery fronts, and pulpit, which is a wide platform structure, is ample, and, together with the light blue and white and buff of the ceiling, contributes to make up one of the prettiest and most effective interiors we have yet seen. The original cost of the chapel was 4,500l., and it affords accommodation for 950 persons, 300 of the sittings being free. After retiring from their former chapel in Queen’s-road, and securing the present site, the Wesleyans, resolved not to build until secure of funds to complete the work undertaken, first worshipped in a large room. Next, proceeding by degrees, they erected their walls and put the roof on, and used the body of the chapel in an unfinished state, and finally they built their galleries, and completed the furniture, both of the chapel and schoolroom; and, what is most gratifying to add, possessed themselves of their beautiful sanctuary in its completeness entirely free from debt. The Rev. W. M. Punshon, M.A., now President of the Canadian Conference, was the first resident minister appointed to take charge of this new and important enterprise. Under his popular ministry the congregation rapidly increased and reached its full dimensions, which it retained to the end of the three years itinerant term, every sitting being let and occupied, and the aisles also generally being crowded. The Revs. J. Rattenbury, George Maunder, J. D. Brocklehurst, who followed Mr. Punshon in succession, were also highly popular and useful ministers, so that the Denbigh-road congregation has enjoyed all the influence and advantage that Methodism could supply, for raising up and consolidating a prosperous church.
The able ministry with which it has been uniformly supplied is well maintained in the present appointments, if we may judge from our own hearing. The Rev. T. M. Albrighton, the superintendent minister of the circuit, and especially attached by residence to that chapel, occupied the pulpit; and after an impressive reading of the Church prayers, as used by the Wesleyans at the morning service, preached an eloquent and powerful discourse founded on Zech. vi. 12 and 13, “And speak unto him saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts saying, Behold the man whose name is the Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of truth shall be between them both.” This fine text of Scripture was treated in a manner indicative of its importance. The sermon was delivered extempore, but well studied, and, we should say, previously thought out to the last sentence. The discourse was replete with theological intelligence, and threw much Evangelical light upon the text with which it had to do. It was delivered too, with feeling, and evident intention of doing good; but this paramount purpose, kept steadily in view, did not, as is too often the case, disturb in any degree the order, method, and effect of the sermon as such. If a sermon to be really good should have method, then this sermon was quite an example. There was a suitable introduction, the divisions naturally rose out of the words of the text, and the peroration, delivered with deep feeling, brought it to a close, the whole occupying three-quarters of an hour. The colleagues of Mr. Albrighton upon the Bayswater Circuit are the Revs. J. S. Banks and Nehemiah Curnock, who interchange pulpits with him and each other, but are more particularly attached respectively to the congregations worshipping in the Warwick-gardens and Bassin-park Chapels.
There is a present membership of 430—i.e., recognised members of the Wesleyan body, by virtue of meeting in class—attached to the Denbigh-road Chapel. Every department of Christian work appears to be in fair activity. There is a good Sunday-school, having 450 children under religious instruction. This school has an important feature in a young men’s Bible-class, numbering about 100, under the conductorship of Mr. Walter Heal. From this fact it is not difficult to conjecture the cause of the presence of so many young men in the congregation as are to be seen on the Sunday. There is also a Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Society in full operation during the winter months. Associations for visiting the sick, ministering to the destitute, distributing tracts, &c., afford occupation to all willing to work; and these, we are informed, are not few at Denbigh-road. The general efforts through the year in aid of foreign missions are supplemented by the activity of a “Juvenile Missionary Association,” who use their youthful influence as occasion offers to advance the great work of the world’s conversion with pleasing results.
THE WESTBOURNE GROVE CHAPEL.
A somewhat heavy-looking, but substantial structure in the main-thoroughfare attracts the attention of every passer-by at the west-end of Westbourne-grove, occupying also the corner of the Ledbury-road, where it intersects the Grove. It was intended to be in early English style, and so we presume it must be considered, although it does not strike one as realising the ideal in a very impressive degree. It is, however, slightly decorated, and has something of the details of early work. It is solidly built of Kentish rag, with Bath-stone facings, having two flanking towers, surmounted with stone spires. In addition to the principal entrance, over a flight of steps in the front, these towers afford access to the galleries, to which, also, there are two other approaches from without, at the north end of the chapel, one on each side. This is the largest chapel we have yet seen in West London; and the space within is economised to the utmost extent by gallery accommodation, there being double galleries on three sides, two having nine rows of seats. These, with the pewing completely covering the ground floor, give accommodation for 2,000 persons. The great feature of the interior is massiveness, which is only slightly relieved by an ornamental panelling on the gallery fronts, and a modern platform pulpit. When pretty well filled, as we saw it on the morning of Sunday, the 17th of September, 1871, the place has an imposing effect. On the north side, behind the pulpit, there is an apse, with an organ and a few singers, answering well the purpose of leading the large congregation, which joins heartily in the musical parts of the service. There are also behind the chapel proper, six spacious rooms for Bible-classes, committees, &c., which is a noticeable feature, affording great facility to the several societies attached.