Jireh Chapel : Lewes
Built in 1805 on the American Colonial style, Jireh chapel is constructed mainly of timber frame. The roof is held together entirely by wooden pegs, and the foundations rest upon a bed of chalk. This unique building is clad with welsh slate on the south side, weather tiles on the west side and the unique Sussex mathematical tiles (made at Keymer) on the north and eastern facades.
The chapel was built for the Rev.Jenkin Jenkins W.A. (Welsh Ambassador of God’s truth) who had been the minister of the Countess of Huntingdon’s chapel on the hill (the road leading up to the golf course. He had been dismissed by the trustees of that chapel when he espoused the high Calvinistic doctrine which was preached by his friend William Huntingdon SS.
William Huntingdon SS (1745 1813) was a famous preacher/evangelist who preached at Providence chapel, Grays Inn Lane, London during the latter part of the Evangelical Awakening of the 18th and 19th centuries. His preaching tours brought him frequently to both Sussex and Kent. His tomb is in the yard at the rear of the chapel.
When the chapel was first built, it was much smaller. The eastern end of the chapel, including the porch was added in 1827, as was the eastern gallery. Originally the pulpit was at the eastern end and the congregation sat facing the double-decker pulpit. When the chapel was extended, the opportunity was taken to remodel the whole of the interior.
The pulpit and the clerk’s desk were moved to where they are now sited and the barrel vault ceiling was installed. The chapel is a typical Non Conformist place of worship of the Georgian era. The emphasis is upon the preaching (The Word of God), with the pulpit being the central feature. It’s plain, almost austere decor was designed to be conductive to the worship of Almighty God “by Protestant Dissenters of the Calvinistic Persuasion”.
The services were quite simple, consisting of a number of hymns sung unaccompanied, with the help of a pitch pipe sounded by one of the deacons. Prayers were extempore, which means that no liturgy was used, and the sermon was based wholly on the Bible, the inerrant Word of God. Family pews were rented and the chapel seating 1,000 souls would be filled to capacity. Most of the original fitted box and family pews remain, as does the “Grand Pew” immediately below the pulpit where the elders and deacons would sit.
After the ministry of the reverend Herbert Moore, who ministered from 1931-1965 the chapel fell into disuse and decay but in more recent times was carefully restored under the guidance of Pastor Jim North with the aid of funds from the English Heritage Trust in the mid 1990’s. It was handed over to the free Presbyterian church in April 1998. Evangelist Noel Shields from Ulster ministered in the chapel from then until his return to Northern Ireland in 2005.
Since 2005 Jireh chapel has been without a resident minister. The chapel was overseen by Rev. Gordon Ferguson until 2012 who was a minister at Walthamstow Free Presbyterian church, And with Rev. Patrick Baker, who is now minister in Walthamstow (London), oversees the work at Jireh chapel.
The above was taken from the Jireh Chapel pamphlet and as a footnote, this chapel is still used for the Annual Bonfire Service as part of the Lewes Bonfire Night Celebrations.
Jireh Chapel Scene Scenes Image Images Photograph Photographs Photography Lewes Based Photographer In Sussex South Downs National Park Photography by Nikon Camera
