Operated by East Boldre Community Stores Limited.
Community Benefit Society, number 8481
1860 Watercolour of the Chapel
This image was reproduced in black and white in Eric Smith's book "A Light in the Forest" published in 1985. Having secured his wife, Freda's permission to reprint this work in the book we were producing we were keen to source the original images he used so we could capture high resolution copies for "Keeping the Lights Burning".
It is the earliest known image of the chapel painted about 16 years after the chapel was rebuilt in 1844.
Our social media appeals no results so we had given up hope. It was a very pleasant surprise therefore when, thanks to John Kitcher and Liz Searle, this small original watercolour turned up in a carrier bag of chapel effects that was donated to Rebecca Gabzdyl, who led the Chapel Stores and Chapel Story projects.
It has been scanned in high resolution and is reproduced here and in the book.
Jefferson Moonstone Light Fitting
While clearing out the chapel’s attic space Nick Thompson and Rebecca Gabzdyl discovered two of the chapel’s opaline glass light fittings (right).
One was, unfortunately, broken but the other was cleaned and fitted with earthed modern fittings and reused in the shop’s lobby where it can be seen today (lower right).
It is great to have this pretty original features still an intrinsic, useful part of the building.
Our research found that they were made by the Jefferson Glass Company, part of their Moonstone range. Their milky glass would have cast a soft, diffused light.
Seven of these lampshades had once illuminated the chapel (far right) when it was connected to mains electricity in 1949 and the older, high maintenance oil lamps were replaced (below). There are also two matching wall lamps in the retail space.
Ceiling Roses
The chapel was never richly adorned, its simplicity broken only by two decorative cast iron ceiling roses. Owing to the poor condition of the ceiling and the lighting layout required for the shop, the roses had to be removed.
Caked in 120 years of paint they were carefully stripped back to bare metal to reveal their original detail. Once painted they were mounted either side of the double doors into the shop where their detail can be enjoyed.
Chapel Tea Meetings
While clearing out the chapel’s attic space Nick and Rebecca also discovered a box containing cups and saucers from the chapel’s tea set as well as trestle table tops.
Some of the tea cups and saucers were broken but a few were salvaged and are displayed here. When the chapel had closed some of the congregation were given parts of the tea set as mementos. Two milk jugs and some of the plates have kindly been donated to us for display alongside the cup and saucers.
Research reveals that the tea set was probably made by T. G. & F. Booth at Church Bank Pottery in the about 1890 based on the shapes and the similarity in the pottery logo and the log used on the tea set.
Though the trestle boards were riddled with woodworm, enough wood could be salvaged to make the window sill in the toilet, the desks in the shop office on the mezzanine and the coffee table in the vestry.
Communion Table and Chairs
In 1932, Lady Montagu presented a gift to the Baptist church in memory of her late husband, John, Second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu who all his life had known so many of the members as estate workers and tenants.
It consisted of an elm table and 2 chairs. The elm table was made by Mr George Read, the church secretary and a worker on the Beaulieu Estate. The chairs were made by Mr Kingsbury of Poole.
A third larger matching chair was later presented to the church in memory of William (1858 - 1933) and Emily Thorpe (nee Crouch, 1866 - 1944). William and Emily had lived at the Retreat, in East Boldre. The sole beneficiary of Emily's will (over £6000) was Ebenezer Blackman, who had been a minister at the chapel for 10 years until 1910.
When the chapel closed in 2021 Doug and Beulah Read became custodians of the table and chairs. In early 2024, just before Chapel Stores opened, Doug and Beulah Read kindly donated the chairs to East Boldre Community Stores for use in the vestry community space, pleased to see them returning ‘home’. The table remains with them, having a particular sentimental value as it was made by Doug’s father.
Left to right: Mr David Kitcher, Captain Widnell, Mr George Baker, Rev'd Tree, Lady Montagu, Mr George Read, Mr Fred Norris.