Chapel Next the Green (the history of Twickenham Congregational Church) index page
Some little time was to elapse before Mr Jackson accepted the pastorate. Little is known about him but his pastorate was an eventful one. He had ministered at Chatteris, Cambs. from 1858 to 1860, and then went to Ireland where he had three short pastorates within four years before spending a period in Dublin without pastoral charge.
It is possible that he first came to Twickenham on a temporary basis; Abraham Slade recorded on Dec 10th 1865 that: “Mr Jackson has his first sermon last sabbath morning in the Independent Chapel (first of the three months engagement)“.
The uncertainty regarding the claim from the trustees of Lady Shaw estate had been lessened in April 1865 when the chapel was mortgaged to Andrew Bowring, formerly a local resident and member of the committee, who had a hosier and glover’s business in the City. The trustees were entitled to redeem the mortgage on payment of £596.14.4 plus 5% interest.
The members were evidently anxious to secure their chapel, and on 14th June 1866, with the consent of the original trustees, Andrew Bowring conveyed the chapel to eleven trustees representing the church,
“… the said purchase money being deemed to be a fair price for the chapel and its land .. but the said Andrew Bowring is minded to include the school and premises hereafter described in aid and furtherance of the good object to which the said chapel, school and premises are to be applied …“
Mr Bowring had evidently purchased the school separately and was making a gift of it to the Church. At that time a fence marked the boundary between the buildings. For his generosity and business acumen subsequent congregations have cause to be grateful.
The new trustees were eleven in number: George Hunt Jackson (Minister), William Brown (Builder), Charles and Alfred Deayton (Grocers), Alfred J. Hicks (Gentleman), Thomas Peard (Ironmonger), Eldred Sayers (Draper), Abraham Slade (Builder), William Standen (Gentleman), John P. Teede (Tea Dealer), and Charles Warner (Coachpainter).
According to the new deed the chapel and other buildings were:
“to be enjoyed as a place for the public worship of God according to the usages of Protestant Dissenters of the Congregational Denomination, commonly called Independents, being Paedobaptists… (i.e. practising infant baptism) such persons only are to be permitted to officiate who are of the Denomination of Paedobaptists and who will hold, teach, preach and maintain the following Doctrines …”. There follows a list of ten doctrines with a proviso that: “the Church should be conducted on Congregational or Independent principles, namely the members should have full power to manage their Church . . . according to their own interpretation of the Holy Scriptures“.
THE NEW CHAPEL
Now that the Church was again fully independent, no time was wasted with proceeding with the ‘additional accommodation’. In 1866 the Chapel was rebuilt in its present form, incorporating gallery, porch and boiler room, and was linked to the school by the vestry block. Two smaller rooms were added to the enlarged schoolroom.
An illustration of the rebuilt premises appeared in the Congregational Yearbook 1867 (above) with the architect’s comments:
“The buildings, which present a specimen of very successful planning and effective grouping, were designed with a view of making available, as far as possible, the old buildings and materials, and are of brick, picked stocks, with red brick and Bath stone dressing partaking of a Byzantine character, adapted to the purposes of the buildings and materials used. The walls of the Chapel are raised and the whole covered with new open timbered tie beam roof ceiled between the rafters . .. The gas lighting by pendants from the beam and the warming by hot water pipes.
J.P.Manning Esq, Mitre-court, Fleet Street, Architect.”
The architect’s drawing (above) is interesting in that at the top left we see the original 1844 chapel. We also see that his intention was for the organ, when installed, to be on the end wall of the chapel.
Not all observers were enthusiastic about the ‘effective grouping‘. in 1873 a reporter from the RTT commented (full report here):
“Had Solomon been an architect and seen the Congregational chapel on Twickenham Green (he) would have been sorely puzzled to define its architecture correctly. The gentleman from whose very original brain the design emanated need not fear a charge of plagiarism in matters architectural. In appearance the building is unique, and as a matter of taste it is a question whether it would not be well for it always to remain so, seeing that the elevation, which is Mediaeval, Norman-Gothic etc, is as heavy as it is unartistic… were it possible to speak in terms of praise, consistently with truth of this curious conglomeration of bricks and mortar, it would give me great pleasure to do so, but I have to write what I think, and therefore am bound to confess that beauty is not an element in the design. … Nor is its interior any more pleasing than its outwards appearance”.
Abraham Slade had other reservations about the rebuilding which he recorded in particular detail:
Oct 21st 1866: “The people are altering the Independent Chapel and I am afraid they are going to entail a heavy mortgage on it which will be a heavy drag to my neighbours as well as myself and family. In order that my children may know how this was brought about I will make a brief statement of the facts connected with it.
When Lady Shaw died she died intestate — and 560 pounds been lent by her at the erection of the chapel so that her heirs made a claim for that amount – so that the trustees were obliged to raise the money and in order to do so the whole of the property was sold to Mr A. Bowring of Fenchurch St, London, and the people then formed a committee of 12 to carry out the repurchase of the property from Mr Bowring and among the rest my name was placed.
A scheme was set on foot by a few of the leaders of this movement to borrow six hundred pounds and pay off the debt and raise the money by degrees and then pay off the six hundred pounds and to this I consented. But some few were not satisfied by this but wished for alterations to the property that would involve a very heavy outlay.
To do this they employed a London architect to prepare plans and specifications and get tenders for the works – The lowest being 1560 pounds, which was accepted — which made including the formal purchase about 2160 without any provision for gas or heating and sundry other matters amounting in all to about 2800 pounds …
I feel sorry that my name was associated with a proceeding which, instead of helping on the cause of Christ, I am afraid will be a heavy clog to it. I would advise all my children to beware how they act in these matters, and never in any way lend themselves toanything that will leave a heavy entail upon others.”
The debts on the property were to be a stumbling block for many years. On Jan 27th 1868, Mr Slade recorded: “The trials of our chapel are fast now coming on – £500 wanted and we don’t know how to raise it.” A further loan was raised from the London Congregational Chapel Building Society and evidently money was owed elsewhere.
It appears that Mr Jackson may have been in poor health for his final two years. One note suggests that Willian Freeman, minister of the Baptist Church 1861-71, exercised some oversight. Certainly he knew the church well; his induction service had been led by Mr Ingram. Looking back on the year past, Abraham Slade recorded, on January 1st 1871: “Our Congregation Chapel does not well fill. Mr Jackson, our minister, has been ill six months and the pulpit has been supplied by neighbouring ministers, which does not tend to forward the cause of Christ here (as we have no pastor)”.
That year Mr Jackson ended his eventful pastorate and resigned from the ministry. He continued to live in Twickenham, at Stowford Cottage, which still stands facing Twickenham Green.