Due to blackout regulations during the years of the second world war, the Old Chapel came back
into regular use as the sanctuary. One of the lean-to rooms became a small shooting range for the
Home Guard.
1958
The Old Chapel was renovated and used for worship once more
during the re-building of the Church following a serious fire.
1971
The Old Chapel was demolished.
Church records give little or no information until the call of the Rev P Michael in 1896. Under his
leadership plans were prepared for a new church building to be built on a plot of land situated
across the alleyway from the Old Baptist Chapel. The estimated cost was £3,000. The Baptist Union
contributed £500 to the cost and by 1905 the congregation had raised another £500, [the final cost
of the building was £2,215], leaving an outstanding debt of around £1,200. The New Chapel was
opened in 1907 during the pastorate of the Rev S J Ford, who came to Hanham in 1921, and the
final debt was cleared in 1922. [The Rev Michael had left Hanham to become forces chaplain
during the First World War.] The school hall at the rear of the Church was built by voluntary labour
during 1935. [Lay a brick for sixpence.]
On Tuesday 4th March 1958 a mystery fire destroyed the organ, choir stalls and two vestries. [The
organ had been purchased in 1950 from Lady Smyth's estate, Ashton Court, at a cost of £1,500.]
Firemen fought through choking smoke to attack the fire, which they initially controlled, but the
blaze broke out again in the roof. Thanks to the generous time and effort put in by Ambrose Cottell
and Jack Lampard, the Old Chapel was completely redecorated, and the women from the Church
supplied curtains, and rugs for the floor; the existing floor was wooden and very uneven. The Old
Chapel was transformed and become the place of worship during the reconstruction period. And
what"s new? The Church had to take out third party insurance in the event of anyone failing on the
wet, slippery flag stones and gravestones leading to the chapel door. The cost of the rebuilding and
reconstruction of the church following the fire was in the region of £10,000. The Church was
reopened on 19th September 1959, eighteen months after the fire.
In 1971, towards the end of the pastorate of Rev Peter Crowhurst, the Old Baptist Chapel was
demolished, mainly because of the poor condition of the roof timbers. A modern building which
became the New Hall was built and opened in 1972. A wooden beam taken from the original Old
Baptist Chapel has been built into one of the walls.
The inscription reads:
THE OLDEST PLACE OF WORSHIP IN KINGSWOOD & HANHAM AMONGST LOCAL PLACES
LICENSED FOR WORSHIP UNDER THE TOLERATION ACT [WILLIAM & MARY 1689] WAS
SAMUEL HARVEYS HOUSE HANHAM FOR BAPTIST WORSHIP LICENSED EASTER 1709