Cemetery Chapel Restoration

Built in 1896, the Croft Cemetery is home to a small chapel that was once used for funeral services. 

The chapel had been virtually abandoned for decades and in this time had been used as a store room for grave digging equipment as well as a stint as a home for the local Scout group's canoes and camping equipment. 

The building was in a very poor state of repair with paint flaking off the walls, pews scuffed and covered in dirt & dust and large sections of plaster coming away from the walls. 

In recent years the chapel only saw use for the annual Rememberence Day service but was hardly in a fit state to host such an important annual event. 

In late 2021 the Parish Council decided that this fantastic old building should be brought back to life so embarked on a restoration project. 

You can see from the photos below what we were dealing with!

Before

Thanks to some fantastic work by Darren Bland of Plastering Direct, Alan Graham of Alan Graham Joinery and volunteer work by members of the Parish Council who have spent countless weekends sanding, scrubbing, oiling and varnishing, work on the interior has been completed. 

We found the old Parish Bier (coffin carrier) in the chapel and have cleaned this up too. 

We hope you agree the transformation is amazing and this fantastic old chapel is back to the condition it should always have been in.

After

The cemetery chapel is available to hire for funeral services.

Please see the Cemetery page for more details.