| Toxteth Unitarian Chapel | |
|---|---|
 View across Park Road | |
  Toxteth Unitarian Chapel Location in Merseyside | |
| 53°22′53″N2°57′29″W / 53.3813°N 2.9580°W /53.3813; -2.9580 | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 363 875 |
| Location | Dingle,Liverpool,Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Unitarian |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 28 June 1952 |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Groundbreaking | 1618 |
| Completed | 1774 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone withslate roof |
Toxteth Unitarian Chapel is in Park Road, Dingle,Liverpool,Merseyside, England. Since the 1830s it has been known asThe Ancient Chapel of Toxteth.[1] It is recorded in theNational Heritage List for England as a designated Grade Ilisted building.[2] and continues to be used as aUnitarian chapel.[3] It is a member of theGeneral Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, theumbrella organisation for British Unitarians.[4]
In 1611 a group ofPuritan farmers built a school in Toxteth and appointedRichard Mather, at the age of 15, as its master.[1][5] He then went toBrasenose College, Oxford to continue his education but he was asked to return to Toxteth.[6] By this time the chapel had been built[2] and on 30 November 1618 he preached his first sermon.[7] He subsequently became ordained in theChurch of England.[8] However he was suspended from the ministry in 1633 and again in 1634 because of hisnonconformist preaching,[9] and in 1635 he emigrated to America.[10] By 1662 the minister of the chapel was aPresbyterian named Thomas Crompton and he was joined by anotherDissenter, Michael Briscoe. In 1672 both ministers obtained licences under theRoyal Declaration of Indulgence and the chapel was enlarged to accommodate Dissenters from central Liverpool. However as more chapels were built, Toxteth chapel was neglected and fell into disrepair.[1] In 1774 it was partly rebuilt.[2] Around this time the majority of the congregation wereUnitarian and the others left to form a new congregation.[1] A porch was added in 1841.[2] Unitarian services continue to be held in the chapel every fortnight.[3]
The chapel is built in stone with aslate roof. It has two storeys and a western extension with a projectingbay. 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 octagonalcupola withlouvres and a buttonfinial. The interior has thepulpit at the east end, galleries on three sides, andbox 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.[2] The monuments include a brass dated 1656 and 18th and early 19th century wall tablets. Outside the chapel is a graveyard with a mid-19th-centuryclassicalarcade.[11] The organ was built in 1906 byBrindley & Foster.[12]
The chapel contains a memorial plaque dedicate toJeremiah Horrocks, a 17th-century astronomer.[13] Horrocks was the first person to accurately predict the transit of Venus and was a member of the chapel.
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