The Chapel

One hundred and fifty years ago, the Rudland area of the North York Moors was more populated than now. The farms had more workers, and the area was pitted (literally) with small coal and ironstone mines.
In that religious age, they needed somewhere to pray. So in 1875, they built a Primitive Methodist chapel at the edge of the moors. By the 1920's, the mines were closing and the farmhands were moving to the cities, so the Chapel became less and less used. By 1960, it was redundant.

In 1964, my parents bought the Chapel, just a stone shell and a couple of perches of land. It cost ( I think) about threee months' salary for my father. I loved the place, the setting for socialising, adventures and growing up. Most of the time my parents drove us there, but as I reached my mid teens, it was only a long cycle from home across the moors or around the roads. I went there with family, with friends, with girlfriends.

Most of the time, the Chapel was pretty basic inside: damp, with the minimum of comforts. However crude it was in my memory, it's still one of my favourite places in the world.

Last weekend, I visited the Chapel for the first time since my parents sold it in 2000. It was a relevation. Instead of being a shell and holiday cottage, it was lived in. The new owners had extended and re-roofed, installed more power and conveniences. They have turned the Chapel into a home. The kitchen and bathroom are modern, the floors are carpeted, and the main room now has a mezzanine. The new owners invitetd us in for coffee, and were truly hospitable. I'm so pleased that it's still a happy place.