About this location
Tiny moorland chapel and graveyard built in 1487, situated in the beautiful and rugged landscape of the Longdendale Valley in the Dark Peak. Located 1000ft above sea level the views from the chapel are breathtaking. Having been last used in 2017 by 2020 the building and graveyard were falling into disrepair, however we were lucky enough to have several craftspeople spend 2 summers repairing and renovating both the building and grounds to an exceptional standard. All the original features were retained where possible, and the building was rewired and new sympathetic lighting installed. St James is a simple stone building consisting of the main part of the church which has benches and can seat a maximum of around 40 people. The benches can be moved easily to create a open space.
There is a small vestry at the rear as well as a small cubicle with a chemical flush toilet as due to the remote location there is no mains water supply or sewer connection. At the back of the church there is a small staircase which leads up to the fairly large gallery/balcony which overlooks the whole interior of the building. There are two arched windows on the front of the building, with simple red and blue stained glass that the sun really catches.
The floor is parquet wood blocks, and the lower walls of the interior are wood panelled from what were the pew doors before they changed to the benches in 1905. The graveyard is surprisingly large and many of the headstones are in very good condition and still legible- they tell some very sad stories of life on the moors in the 17/18/1900’s. Many of the Navvies that died building the first Woodhead Tunnels in 1845 as well as the chain of 5 Longdendale Reservoirs about 5 years later are buried in unmarked graves in the field behind the dry stone wall of the official graveyard apparently as a result of attitudes at the time - them being Catholic and the Church of England not allowing them to be buried in one of their graveyards.
Room breakdown
Small entry porch, added in 1924 as a memorial to the men of the valley who never returned from the war.
Main part of chapel with benches either side of central aisle. Slightly raised ‘Altar’ area at front but all furniture/organ etc can easily be moved.
Vestry/Utility room at rear of chapel and through this is the recently fitted toilet cubicle with a portable compostable toilet due to the building not being connected to mains water or sewer pipes
Staircase at rear of chapel which leads up to large gallery/balcony that overlooks the main part of the church
Parking and accessibility
Access to St James is up a single track tarmac lane (about 300 metres in length) just off the A628 Woodhead Pass near Crowden. At the top of the path there are some quite deep potholes as you enter the area directly in front of St James which can be used for parking and can accommodate around 12 cars. As long as it’s not a very low to the ground car most vehicles (such as SUV’s/MPV’s) would have no problem with the potholes.
For much larger vehicles/lorries/trailers, there is a large purpose built tarmac car park in Crowden Village which is a 10 minute walk.
Accessibility: Despite the fact that St James is now used as a community resource since its restoration and is available for use to a wide range of groups, it was built in 1487 and is a grade 2 listed building therefore we have been very restricted on carrying out major accessibility improvements. To enter the building from the outside there are a series of very old fairly shallow stone steps alongside which we have installed an iron hand rail to offer some assistance, and a toilet cubicle with chemical flush toilet has been built and installed. Before this there had never been any type of toilet in over 50 years! Lighting inside the chapel has been improved and covers all parts of the building as well as a flood light externally for illuminating the outside steps. It can be chilly in the winter months as there is no central heating, however a few hours before any event takes place one of the trustees will ensure the electric fan heaters are switched on to warm the building up. We also provide home knitted blankets for use by anyone that wants them.
There are no major access restrictions with the exception of the width of the lane upto the chapel which is probably too narrow for a HGV
Amenities
Rewired 2 years ago. Traditional style iron ceiling light fittings which give off a warm glow
White up lighters on the side walls give off a good light. 8 power outlets/double plug sockets around the building.
No WiFi available but most mobile networks now get full signal in and around church.
Toilet facilities as described above.
No running water but large 5ltr bottles of spring water are always available, as are tea/coffee/sugar/sweetener/disposable cups/plates/juice/napkins/wooden disposable cutlery/gloves/antibacterial wipes/anti bacterial gel/10ltr hot water urn/microwave/kettle
Homemade cakes/biscuits/breads can be provided on request.
Noise levels are very low inside the chapel, although it can be a very windy location