The Oulton Chapel - view west

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 9 Jul 2008

Past the pastor's reading desk and the gallery beyond. This difficult to find chapel - tucked away behind a curtain of dense vegetation > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/877264 - was built by Abraham Coveney in 1727, for non-conformists who wished to practise their religion but had to do so quietly (often privately in their homes) after the return of the established church in the late 1600s. Because of their decision to turn their backs on the established Church of England, non-conformists were considered by many as revolutionaries and dangerous. The chapel > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/877319 - http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/877345 which looks more like a dwelling house than a place of worship, was officially opened in 1731, and in 1784 the construction of the adjoining manse was completed. Inside, the original box pews are still in place up on the gallery, built on three sides and supported on Tuscan columns > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/877355. The pastor's reading desk > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/877336 is quite plain and provides a good view both of ground floor and gallery; the pews on the ground floor were added during the 19th century. By 1960 the building had fallen into disrepair and was eventually purchased and restored by the Norfolk Historical Buildings Trust > http://www.cprenorfolk.org.uk/projects/norfolk-hist-build.htm. A key is available from the manse during daylight hours. For more information see: http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/PlaceinHistory/content/39OultonChapel.aspx

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