Former Methodist Chapel, Chapel Lane, Old Bolingbroke, East Lindsey, Lincolnshire: Historic Building Survey

Photography was undertaken in 35mm digital SLR colour using a 10.4 Mpixel format. Photographs were taken of the buildings to create an initial archive, and included general shots of the site and detailed photography of room arrangement; main elevations and constructional details such as window openings, and fixtures and fittings, such as doors and window fenestration. Weather conditions on both days began with light overcast becoming extended sunny intervals later in the day. Low light levels necessitated the use of flash in all interior situations and included some fill-in flash to penetrate the shadows in the exterior shots. The photographs were further supplemented by Room-based record sheets and Brickwork recording sheets The original chapel has a date stone of 1845 and was fairly soon enlarged with the addition of a schoolroom at the east side; thought to have been added between 1854 and 1859 using the proceeds from the sale of an earlier chapel site in 1853. The modern appearance of the chapel is attributable to a programme of refurbishment carried out at the very end of the 19th century. The original sash windows were replaced with the gothic style leaded windows which now characterise the building, along with a complete refit of the interior including new pews and pulpit; the chapel re-opened in 1900. In 1908, the final extension, consisting of a smaller meeting room (Sunday school/vestry), a cloakroom and other ancillary rooms (probably a kitchen, coal store and WC), was added at the southeast side. Since the 1900 refit, the chapel itself has retained its exterior appearance and the interior, including fixtures and fittings such as pews, pulpit and panelling, has survived largely intact. The 1908 extension also retains most of the original fixtures and fittings of the Sunday school/vestry and cloakroom. As such it must be considered a well-preserved example of a modest Methodist Chapel, typical of rural East Lindsey. This building survey has recorded and provided an archive of the former Old Bolingbroke Methodist Chapel to preserve it by record prior to its redevelopment and the consequent loss of historic evidence contained in its fabric.