A Brief History of Fowlmere URC
(based on 'Mere Independants - A history of Fowlmere and Thriplow United Reformed Church' by Revd R W Rooke 1996, with his kind permission)

 

With the Passing of the Toleration Act in 1689 which allowed freedom of worship and assembly once again to Nonconformists, it is surprising that it took so long before Independent Chapels were built in Fowlmere and Thriplow as there is evidence of a determined following can be traced as far back as 1675.

The formation of the first separate congregation at Fowlmere in 1780 came about through the efforts of the brothers Nathaniel, Benjamin and William Wedd. A piece of land was purchased and a church building was completed on the 14th November 1780, and licensed in 1781.

Between the opening of the chapel and the first decade of the nineteenth century, the expansion in activity was such that the building had be extended in 1810. This allowed seating for up to six hundred persons. Another extension (later known as 'the old school' and eventually 'the vestry') was built c.1830 to the full height of the Chapel, in order to accommodate the large number of children then attending. In 1870 it was decided to build an apse at one end of the Chapel in place of the existing straight wall to accommodate a hand-pumped organ (purchased from Henry Jones of London) and a choir.

By November 1878, the Chapel had undergone complete restoration with the addition of a new vestry that became a schoolroom and has remained so to the present day. In 1881 a local farmer and a life-long member of the Chapel (Mr Beldam Johns) erected the turret linked to the newly built schoolroom. The clock tower contained a small vestry at ground-floor level, a classroom above reached by vertical steps, a clock chamber on the second floor and a bell in the third. The clock worked by gravity in the form of a flexible steel cable 100 yards long supporting a heavy weight. This required hand winding weekly (and still does).

Drainage of the surrounding Burial Ground was causing problems in 1881. It raised two questions, firstly, the desirability of continuing to use the ground for burials and, secondly, the reliability of the nearby well to provide water fit for human consumption. After emptying and cleaning the well the Medical Officer confirmed that the water was fit for human consumption. The well was used up until 1955, when mains were eventually supplied to the village. The burial ground was eventually closed in 1910. Maintenance and repairs of various kinds demanded periodic attention, but electricity was brought eventually into the Chapel in 1944 in memory of members of the Sheldrick family and into the schoolroom in memory of Paul Tidman.

With Mr Buckle, the current minister living in Great Chishill, attention was given to selling Fowlmere Manse. The sale took place on the 16th July 1965 for a price of £4,000. Chapel heating was installed in 1968 and a vestry created in 1971, for the reception of visiting ministers by partitioning 'The Old School' with glass panelling. The cost was met by Mrs Elizabeth Ison in memory of her husband Mr Herbert Ison, previously secretary of the church.

In 1972 the Chapel was connected to mains drainage and plans were approved for a one-storey, flat-roofed extension to the rear of the schoolroom, to provide a kitchen area and two toilets. The chapel cottage, vacant for different at times, was sold in May 1976 to eventually pay for these alterations. A systematic repair programme had begun before Mr Rook's arrival in 1988 and this continued for several years. Two thirds of the floor of the sanctuary was replaced with a concrete foundation, the upright wall-timbers were underpinned and treated with preservative, the wooden dado-panelling was replaced, a new ceiling was created, new heaters, wiring were installed and the interior repainted. Outside the chapel, new railings were erected along Chapel Lane, the entrance was paved and the guttering renewed.

The new millennium will see an extensive program of alterations. To provide a better service to the village community, it is proposed that there will be an improved access throughout for the disabled, a new central entrance, and an extension to the schoolroom which is used currently for a wide range of activities. In addition, there will be a re-sited vestry.