Westgate Unitarian Chapel is a historic chapel in the city centre of

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

, in

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England. The origins of the chapel lie in a group of supporters of Joshua Kirkby, who was ejected from Wakefield Parish Church, and a group of non-conformists in Alverthorpe. The two decided to build a joint

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

chapel, just north of

Westgate Westgate or West Gate may refer to: Companies * Westgate Resorts, a real estate company and timeshare company * Westgate Department Stores, the department store division of Anglia Regional Co-operative Society in the United Kingdom Events * Westg ...

, halfway between their two settlements, which opened in 1697. In 1752 the chapel was replaced by the current building. Later in the century, the congregation joined the Unitarian movement. It is built of brick, and is two storeys high and three bays long. It is in the

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

, with a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

. There are several Venetian windows on the ground floor. Inside the chapel is plain, with a pulpit of 1737 moved from the former chapel, and an organ constructed in 1847. Most of the woodwork dates from the late 19th century. There are

catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

under the chapel, which are occasionally opened to the public. The chapel was

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1971.

Grade II* listed buildings in Wakefield There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the metropolitan borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and H ...

Listed buildings in Wakefield Wakefield is a city in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. In the city and surrounding area are 190 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, seven are list ...

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External links

* {{coord, 53.6823, -1.50436, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1752 Buildings and structures in Wakefield Grade II* listed buildings in West Yorkshire Unitarian chapels in England

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