Chapels, along with the distinctive buildings that housed industrial activities and their workforces, had become a prominent feature of the Cornish landscape by 1851. At that time Cornwall had the highest proportion of dissenting places of worship in England.
While the census returns of 1851 demonstrated to the Anglican Church that dissenting religions were most strong in Cornwall and areas of the North, it also demonstrated that Methodism was, in all its diversity, the principal denomination in Cornwall at that date. The strongholds of Cornish Methodism, in mining heartlands of the centre and west of the county, found no national parallels - with the notable exception of the mining valleys of South Wales - for the dominance that Methodism held, as a popular evangelical movement over other forms of Christian worship.
Even the smallest chapels possessed a sense of propriety, neatness and regularity. The sense of decorum is especially noticeable in the period between the 1820s and 1840s. Nearly square on plan, with hipped or half-hipped roofs and regular elevations, externally they resemble - minus the chimneystacks - the late Georgian-style, three-bay farmhouses built at that time in the Cornish countryside. The transference of domestic conventions to religious buildings, including those of vernacular or polite forms, is a strong characteristic of chapel architecture, reinforcing the sense of a distinctive regional architectural tradition.
The developing study of late-vernacular building is beginning to allow a fairer judgement of chapel buildings than was possible when the criteria for evaluating architectural worth were based on ideas of architectural 'correctness', debated and defined both by contemporary and later modern architectural critics. Indeed, there is no straightforward chronological sequence or development in style, plan and function as there is with Anglican architecture.
The processes at work behind the chapels' extraordinary architectural diversity and high rate of alteration and remodelling, from the wealth and aspirations of chapel communities to the impact of religious revivals and schism, are explored in detail in a new book. Diversity and Vitality: the Methodist and Nonconformist chapels of Cornwall was launched at a
conference in Cornwall entitled 'Bane or Blessing: the future of historic chapels in Cornwall', held in Truro in July 200 1.
The book, the result of a survey of Cornish chapels and of cooperation between English Heritage and the Methodist Church (and published jointly by these two bodies), presents new thoughts on the importance of chapels to the Cornish landscape and culture. It evaluates their significance as historical buildings, and the dynamic role of liturgical and community change in determining both their historic character and future.
Historic chapels represent one of the most threatened building types in England. The Methodist Church has had little choice but to sell off chapels where there are insufficient members to carry the cost of maintaining them. In framing its pastoral strategies to meet these and other changing circumstances, clear guidance was needed about how the statutory protection of important chapel buildings through listing might
During the same period English Heritage became aware of the need to reassess critically the stock of listed chapels and develop a constructive dialogue with churches, local authorities and other potential users, based upon accurate information on the relative importance of chapels and their fittings. The limited initial brief was to select a sample of chapels for inspection, but it quickly became apparent that this would not produce a consistent and up-to-date evaluation. Thus the former Royal Commission's inventory of chapels and meetinghouses, the Methodist Church's own register of property, and chapels marked on Ordnance Survey maps were used as a basis for a rapid fieldwork programme and the compilation of a photographic archive.
A limited selection of the vast documentation was also undertaken. The Cornish chapels survey comprised the first attempt by both organisations to tackle this problem on a regional scale, and to draw up criteria for the evaluation of chapel architecture. This architecture, although geared to Cornwall's own particular identity, could have relevance to the consideration of chapel buildings elsewhere in the country.
The main body of listings resulting from the chapels survey was announced in Ponsanooth Methodist Chapel in St Gluvias in April 1999 by Alan Howarth, the then minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Twentyeight chapels were removed from the statutory list, because of demolition, severe alteration, or a realisation that they no longer fulfilled listing criteria. Thirteen additional chapels, four school buildings and two tombs were listed at Grade II.
Three previously unlisted chapels were listed at Grade II*, and 20 others were upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*. This designation, which recognises outstanding architectural or historic importance, had hitherto been seldom used for chapel architecture. It has been applied to a wide range of chapel buildings,
from the large 1,000-seaters distributed in towns and the former rural industrial areas, to much more modest examples which are strongly representative of formerly common chapel types.
Without a comprehensive overview of the surviving stock of Cornish chapels, some highly misleading assumptions about the significant watersheds in terms of date could have been made. Almost all chapels of the late 18th or the first half of the 19th century have been altered, have later fittings, or have lost their fittings. This explodes the hitherto common belief that numerous early 19th century chapels have retained their interiors.
Fieldwork in the course of the survey established that substantially complete examples of the period up to and including the 1860s, such as Penrose in St Ervan parish (1861) and the 1863 Bible Christian chapel at Wheal Busy in Chacewater parish, were of sufficient rarity to merit the accolade of a high grade.
National policy, as enshrined in Power of Place and the Rural Green Paper, has been placing an increasing emphasis on understanding as a key element in both heritage management and the planning process. In some cases it is not so much individual structures that have intrinsic special interest as the contribution that they make through their external form to the urban, village or rural landscapes of which they are a part.
One hundred and sixty chapels of all denominations in Cornwall have now been listed as being of special architectural or historic interest. The Methodist Church owns 92 listed at Grade II and 14 at Grade II* (this is 12 per cent of all its listed chapels and 42 per cent of its Grade II* chapels in England). Although Penrose has joined the ranks of other nationally significant chapels now in the care of the Historic Chapels Trust, preservation as found can be the future only for a very small proportion of chapels. Listing is intended to help keep important historic buildings in active and beneficial use, while ensuring that all reasonable efforts are made to conserve those features and characteristics that contribute to their special status.
The communities which use these chapels for mission and worship are central to their conservation, for without them their future is generally far bleaker. It is vital to note, however, that the situation will be made worse by the merger with the Church of England within the next generation and the declining levels of religious observance. Chapels have to become more multi-functional as interior spaces, responding to a greatly increased need to accommodate people with disabilities, and to provide toilet and cooking facilities, new entrance areas and space for activities such as dance, drama and music.
For the great majority of chapels that have retained interior features and fittings of interest, their conservation is best managed through their remaining in their original use, following the advice in PPG 15 Planning and the Historic Environment. This is a difficult challenge for many chapel communities faced with declining financial resources and often prohibitive repair costs. Moreover, the worthy desire of many congregations to improve their buildings for mission and worship brings pressure for change, particularly of interiors. This will inevitably lead to pressure for the loss of some fittings.
This would simply be a continuation of the remarkably high rate of rebuilding, reordering and refurbishing identified in the survey as one of the key characteristics of chapel building. On the other hand, the survival of the most important chapels is important to future generations' understanding of the key characteristics and developments relating to chapel architecture and their communities.
An examination of schemes affecting listed Methodist chapels since 1995 indicates the current position. There have been 76 schemes in respect of 55 chapels, including 11 sales. Not all these schemes have been implemented but the overall value of the work is around £5.5 million, most of it from Methodist sources.
Fewer than half of the listed chapels have had schemes carried out since 1995. This does not imply that nothing has been done. Most will have carried out routine repair and maintenance in respect of items identified in the mandatory quinquennial inspection. The concern is, however, for the chapels with small
congregations where little has been done and little is likely to be done in the coming years.
Many chapels have small, diminishing congregations, often in large buildings. A look at some of the Grade II* chapels illustrates the scale of the problem: - Hockings House and Newlyn Trinity are presently empty while possible uses are being explored
• Voguebeloth, seating around 460, has 10 members
• Carharrack k, seating around 530, has 21 members
• Ponsanooth, seating around 630, has 21 members.
An accelerating rate of closure and sales is inevitable. Indeed, since the conference, the managing trustees at Voguebeloth have begun to explore the possibility of closing and selling the building.
The publication of statistical information from the chapels survey, underpinning the selection process, has underlined the fact that selection and identification for listing forms part of a process of critical evaluation. Making this information available, in addition to the criteria for selection, is fundamental to establishing sound relationships between all who must play their part in securing the proper stewardship and protection of the historic environment.
While we feel confident of achieving a credible definition of what constitutes the most significant surviving chapels, it is neither feasible nor desirable to preserve all surviving chapels. Nevertheless, the review of Cornish chapels and their assessment within both a regional and a national context has provided a clear justification for the protection of the key examples of the principal and best-preserved chapel types, based on survey of over 90 per cent of known surviving examples.
It has also provided a platform for informed dialogue. The Reverend Kenneth Street, the Connexional Property Secretary of the Methodist Church between 1985 and 2000, stressed the importance of seeking a common agenda in his article in the first issue of the Chapels Society magazine. It is hoped that a new understanding can inform the debate between chapel communities, other owners and the bodies responsible for the stewardship of the historic environment.