Billy Bray'S Three Eye Chapel

SW 74 SE KEA

1/87 Billy Bray's Three Eye Chapel

GV II

Bible Christian Chapel. First built circa 1835, rebuilt or remodelled circa mid C19 and again circa late C19. The 1835 chapel was built by Billy Bray, largely by his own hands. Cement rendered rubble with rusticated quoins granite sills and polychrome brick porch, flipped asbestos slate roofs. Rectangular aisleless plan with entrance to west and rostrum to east. Single storey. Symmetrical 3-window north and south walls, each with horned 12-pane sashes. West entrance front has late C19 gable-ended banded-brick porch with brick acroteria to gable. Central doorway with shallow brick arch and 4-panel door. Round-arched windows to sides of porch with marginal panes. Interior has mostly circa late C19 fittings including bowed rostrum with turned balustrade and integral projecting pulpit carried on octagonal columns. Winder stairs to left and right with stick balusters. Ornate cast iron panels to communion rail. Particularly interesting is a wooden chair with seat inscribed 'BRILLY BRAY BALDHU 1839'. Some of the pews are earlier benches with shaped ends added. Billy Bray was a greatly loved and respected local preacher, who, whilst working in the mines and caring for his family had several chapels built to a great extent by his own hands. 'Our little chapel had three windows, one on one side and two on the other: the old devil, who does not like chapels, put his servants by way of reproach to call our chapel 'THREE EYES'. But, blessed be God, since then, the chapel has become too small for the place, and it has been enlarged; now there are six windows instead of three; and they may call the chapel SIX EYES now if they will'. Quoted from BILLY BRAY by F.W. Bourne. LONDON May 1890. This book is a great source of further information about the preacher and includes an amusing story of how Billy Bray acquired a 3 cornered cupboard to use as a pulpit for this chapel. Further source - NONCONFORMIST CHAPELS by Christopher Stell.

Listing NGR: SW7649243697