Henry Pitkin's History of Chartridge Mission Church, 1994

A History of Chartridge Chapel

Looking back to the year 1844, certain events were taking place. The young Queen

Victoria had just married Prince Albert. Penny postage had just been introduced; the

government had not long before made its first grant to schools, and recently passed the first

British Factory Act; they had also decided to stop sending convicts to Australia!

Although the threat posed by Napoleon had passed some thirty years ago, the Crimean War

and the Indian Mutiny were soon to happen, as was Livingstone’s journey across Africa, and

the founding of the Salvation Army by General Booth. Marx and Engels published the

“Communist Manifesto” in 1848, and Darwin’s “Origin of Species” first edition in 1849;

these two great movements would both be antagonistic to the Christian faith, and would

cause much controversy.

What of local affairs?

The town of Chesham had a population just under 6,000; it had no railway, would-be

travellers had to take a horse-drawn carriage to Berkhampstead, Rickmansworth or

Watford. Such services were then still being operated from Chesham to London by Catlings

and others. The town had no hospital, no cricket club, no police station, and the fire

brigade didn’t come for another two years.

Whether it was coincidence or not, isn’t clear, but about this time the Gas and Coke

Company came to Waterside, bringing gas lighting to the town, (the chapel had gas lighting

originally, until electricity was to come to the village 75 years later).

Free schooling had only just become available, the school situated in Townfield Yard.

Soon after the chapel was built, the free school was enlarged as the British National School,

the Church of England school in Church Street followed and then the Chesham Building

Society was founded (later claimed to be the oldest in the world)

So, it seems as if putting a chapel here started something of a building explosion!

What of Chartridge?

“A considerable hamlet surrounded by farms and lands” was a contemporary

description. Sale notices refer to “well planted orchards and fields, yielding crops of wheat,

barley, oats, tares, and clover” and refer to “rights of common over the extensive green of

Chartridge”

One item of local interest: Chartridge Farm was the home of an old and well-known

family, the Lasenbys. From that home, Rebecca Lasenby married Arthur Liberty, who kept a

modest shop in Chesham High Street next to the George Inn. The Libertys lived in rooms

over the shop, and in the year before the chapel was built, their son, Arthur Lasenby Liberty

was born, who went on to found the world-famous Liberty's of Regent Street.

Here, then, in Chartridge was a small rural community, dependent largely on

neighbouring Chesham, to which it was linked by whatever horse-drawn transport was

available, or by Shank’s Pony. That dependency too extended to the spiritual needs of the

village, for Chartridge had no place of worship of its own. 

Historic Links to The Lee Village

[The Stewart-Liberty family lived at the picturesque nearby village of The Lee, which has become famous for being featured in the Midsomer Murders television series starring John Nettles. Since 2024, three of the five churches at The Lee have been permanently closed. Only St John the Baptist on The Lee Green and the old Norman Church to the rear of St John the Baptist remain. Chartridge Mission Church is The Lee's closest Church outside of the village, and with the wonderful historic and personal links we have with The Lee, we very much look forward to residents of The Lee Village visiting our Chartridge Mission Church. I personally have fond memories of Mr Stewart-Liberty and his chauffeur giving me a lift during heavy snow when I was a pupil at Lee Common Church of England School. I also fondly remember the garden party held at their home on the village green. After an unfortunate driving accident in the early 1970s involving Mr Stewart-Liberty and my childhood dog, Mr Stewart-Liberty bought me a toy farm set to console me and that gift started a lifelong interest in farm machinery and other animals besides dogs. I would sit and watch combine harvesters for hours and wait for Trevor Pearce [local farmer and Church Warden at St John the Baptist] to drive past on various tractors. - Andrew Burton]

The Baptists

The Baptists were strongly represented in Chesham in more than one location, and it

was from the General Baptist Church of the New Connection in Bridge Street, later to be

rebuilt and re-named the Broadway Baptist Church, and that outreach to Chartridge began.

Before 1844, people would meet for worship in one of the cottages opposite the

present site, and teachers would come up from Chesham to lead them, but on the 21st

February 1844, the Reverend Samuel Ayrton and others, trustees of the General Baptist

Church, acquired “10 poles of the Great Orchard” at Chartridge (being the site now

occupied), from Mr. Joseph W. Geary who kept the George Inn in Chesham High Street.

The Deed of Conveyance set up a new Trust, designating the site for a Chapel or

Meeting House, with safeguards to ensure that only the sound Word of God was preached,

and would continue to be preached thereafter.

Many of the surnames of these original trustees still survive in the town, and conjure

up a picture of the times: William Staple owned cottages in Chesham, and kept a grocer's

shop in the High Street; John Garrett, a school and Building Society trustee, was an early

member of the family later to become well-known in local affairs as the Garrett-Peggs.;

John Hatchett was a collar maker; John Redding, a straw-plait maker; John Plested, a

labourer; Jonathan Bunker, a carpenter; Frederick Payne a baker; William Spriggins a

schoolmaster; and finally William Andrews, a land surveyor.

It was William Andrews who took the initiative and had the first chapel built at his

own expense, rather smaller than the present building. The official opening was performed

by the Reverend Jordan from Rickmansworth, on 30th  July 1844, and members of the

General Baptist Church began services and a Sunday school; unfortunately, no records of

this early ministry exist.

In 1884, some defects in the structure were apparent, the building was declared

unsafe, and it was decided to demolish it, and a fund was started for public subscription to

rebuild as soon as possible. In 1885, a Building Committee was formed, Mr. Jonathan

Bunker being the only name of the original trustees to re-appear.

One committee member, Mr. F. Darvell, drew up the plans and specifications free of

charge, and another, Mr. G. Neal, offered the platform, which he said “he had by him”

(though one wonders how that came to be, and where he kept it!)

It was agreed to heat the building by a coal stove, with a flue passing out backwards

under the platform (which must have been quite a boon for the preacher in winter-

provided the smoke didn’t leak out!)

Quotations were sought from the town’s builders, and the lowest of the four

submitted-that by Mr. Abel Mead (fore-runner of the present firm of Jesse Mead Ltd.) was

accepted. It was just £110 for the building (=£8,283 in 2015), plus another £40 (=£3,012)

for the furniture.

The work was to be completed in two months, and Mr Darvell was appointed “Clerk

of works”, to make daily visits to inspect the work on behalf of the committee, for the

payment of 7s/6p. a week (=£85).

To launch the new building, a stone-laying ceremony took place on 17th August 1885

with a choir from Chesham, the Reverend W.B.Taylor, the committee, and the other invited

dignitaries arriving in a horse-drawn wagonette. The foundation stone in the front wall of

the chapel was laid by a young lad, Master William A. Andrews, grandson of William

Andrews, who built the original chapel. It is reported that a £10 note (=£753) was placed on

top of the stone, but we are unable to confirm this, not yet having been so financially

pressed as to have the bricks lifted to find out! Following the ceremony, there was a Public

Tea in Chesham and a Public Meeting in the evening. So the witness here continued.

Passing on to more recent times, we know that the work was revived with

considerable enthusiasm in 1919, the end of the First World War, and a good Sunday school

developed. That year’s Anniversary and children’s treat were held at Whitsun, in Mr. Clark’s

field opposite, with games, swings, and sports; and over 160 teas were provided. Many

friends came up from Chesham and in the evening the adults were privileged to take a walk

round Mr. Franklin’s at the big house which stands a bit further on through the village.

Progress fluctuated between the wars, the work being covered by deacons,

preachers, teachers and organists from the Broadway Church, who had been invited by the

Chartridge Executive to serve on the “Chartridge Plan”, and go up and take the services and

Sunday school on a rotation basis. This continued up to the Second World War, and in fact

during it, though sometimes things were at very low ebb.

At the end of the war, in 1946, Mr. Hume Webb, a Broadway deacon, accepted

responsibility for the work, and , collecting together some of his old Sunday school boys

returning from the forces, formed the “Ex-Forces Gospel Team” and made this chapel their

base. With some changes over time, they settled into the work here as “The Chartridge

Team”, some of whom are with us at this anniversary.

Henry Pitkin 1994