Description

SW 74 SE KEA

1/87 Billy Bray's Three Eye Chapel

GV II

Bible Christian Chapel. First built circa 1835, rebuilt or remodelled circa mid C19
and again circa late C19. The 1835 chapel was built by Billy Bray, largely by his
own hands. Cement rendered rubble with rusticated quoins granite sills and
polychrome brick porch, flipped asbestos slate roofs.
Rectangular aisleless plan with entrance to west and rostrum to east.
Single storey. Symmetrical 3-window north and south walls, each with horned 12-pane
sashes. West entrance front has late C19 gable-ended banded-brick porch with brick
acroteria to gable. Central doorway with shallow brick arch and 4-panel door.
Round-arched windows to sides of porch with marginal panes.
Interior has mostly circa late C19 fittings including bowed rostrum with turned
balustrade and integral projecting pulpit carried on octagonal columns. Winder
stairs to left and right with stick balusters. Ornate cast iron panels to communion
rail. Particularly interesting is a wooden chair with seat inscribed 'BRILLY BRAY
BALDHU 1839'. Some of the pews are earlier benches with shaped ends added.
Billy Bray was a greatly loved and respected local preacher, who, whilst working in
the mines and caring for his family had several chapels built to a great extent by
his own hands.
'Our little chapel had three windows, one on one side and two on the other: the old
devil, who does not like chapels, put his servants by way of reproach to call our
chapel 'THREE EYES'. But, blessed be God, since then, the chapel has become too
small for the place, and it has been enlarged; now there are six windows instead of
three; and they may call the chapel SIX EYES now if they will'.
Quoted from BILLY BRAY by F.W. Bourne. LONDON May 1890.
This book is a great source of further information about the preacher and includes an
amusing story of how Billy Bray acquired a 3 cornered cupboard to use as a pulpit for
this chapel.
Further source - NONCONFORMIST CHAPELS by Christopher Stell.

Listing NGR: SW7649243697

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Billy Bray's Three Eye Chapel at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q26453156

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)