Chapel At Scargill House, Including Linking Passage, Staircase And Vestry

This chapel forms part of the Scargill House religious holiday and conference centre, constructed between 1958 and 1961 by G.G. Pace. It is built of local limestone rubble with exposed cedar boarding, some exposed concrete, and red-cedar shingles covering a steeply pitched roof. A flat-roofed linking passage connects the chapel to Scargill House and contains a staircase and vestry; a projecting north porch also exists. The chapel's steep shingle roof sweeps down to the eaves, and is characterised by glazed gables with glazing rising to the gable peak, divided by timber mullions and transoms into rectangular lights of varying size. Exposed cedar boarding surrounds and sits beneath the windows. Prominent buttresses support large concrete gutter spouts. The linking passage is constructed of local stone rubble and expands to incorporate the staircase, becoming monumental due to the sloping ground; it features rows of linked, vertical strip windows.

Inside, the altar is positioned along the short axis, parallel with the roof ridge, and sits forward from the wall on a broad, low sanctuary step. The walls are of exposed rubble stone, and the roof is supported by large laminated timber trusses forming a 'y' shape at the base to define the aisles. The windows are filled with plain plate glass, deliberately chosen to provide views of the surrounding dale. A reading desk and chair consist of roughly dressed stone slabs with “chunky” timber elements; a pair of stone pedestals are located behind the altar. A large black metal cross, in Pace's style, is positioned behind the altar. Further features include "chunky" timber benches, simple black metal cylindrical pendant lights with flared mouths, and a varnished wood block floor. A cross is depicted in studs on the plastered wall within the staircase passage. Scargill House itself is not included in the listing.

The chapel is considered one of Pace’s finest works, notable for its deceptive simplicity and design, utilising local materials to give the impression of emerging from the landscape, as Pace intended. Its liturgical design, with a free-standing altar placed in front of the side wall, was relatively advanced for its time in England.