GATEACRE CHAPEL (continued)

An interesting note records it this time of re-ordering, that:-
"Hitherto the pews had been arranged, with regard to the position of the pulpit, which (until its removal in order to make room for Dr Shepherd's monument), had stood between the two windows at the North side of the Chapel. Most of the pews were seated along 3 sides, some being square had seats on four sides. There were two entrances to the Chapel: the existing door at the West end and another opposite to it at the East end. Between these two doors lay the main aisle, 4 ft wide running East and West. Branching out of this aisle on its Southern side were two others 3 ft in width, which touched the South wall in a line with the most Easterly and Westerly of the three windows on that side to the Chapel. The pews were thus ranged in the following groups: First along the North wall to the right and left of the pulpit, Second in the centre bounded on one side by the South wall and on the others by the three aisles, Third and Fourth the two remaining rows of pews were ranged along the East and West walls respectively." A clear picture of the original box-pew layout.

1854: The Minute Book noted "The Board of Guardians of this District (Prescot Union) having ordered a drain and tank (a soak-away ?) to be made on the South side of Gateacre Brow, have besides the contributions of the neighbouring inhabitants, made a proportionate demand upon the Chapel. The result is that the burial ground, previously soaked in water to the surface, is now perfectly dry."

1851: In February "considerable expense was incurred ... owing to the necessity of renewing much of the woodwork of the Chapel, the dry rot having for some time past done considerable damage". Later in 1851 Dr. Shepherd's memorial was set up in a new niche in the North wall behind the site of the pulpit from which he had preached for 56 years. The marble bust, said to have been a good likeness, was copied, from another made in his lifetime; Sculptor Isaac  Jackson who worked in Liverpool 1831-1850, then went to Rome. The erection of this memorial involved moving the pulpit from its original position to a new site in the middle of the East end.

c.1815: A water-colour sketch in the Binns Collection shows the high level window in the East end of the Chapel.

1743: The congregation fitted cushions to their pews.

continued . . .