A Few of Our Favourite Things: The Chapel
by Museum Assistant Peggy Banks
The Panacea Society Members practised ‘practical frugality ‘. They were saving for the imminent second coming of Christ. All expenses were carefully evaluated and wherever possible ‘make do and mend ‘was the order of the day. So, the chapel was created from a range of out buildings over a ten-year period, gradually enlarged, windows added, and finally a clock tower.
The Chapel Clock tower, 2025
Entering through the front door (which would not be out of place in a 1930’s semi) you enter a long narrow room where up to 50 members could sit and participate in their daily meetings. Below the stained-glass window chosen by Octavia for its combination of Royalty and domesticity is the altar where the silver chalice is surrounded by brass vases some of Indian origin and some not, one with the price still inscribed on its base, and two pairs of candlesticks.
The Chapel Altar in 2023
The Chapel Altar, Easter Day 1992
If the candlesticks look familiar it is because they are of popular late Victorian / Edwardian designs that were mass produced for everyday use. Normally sold in pairs but frequently in sets of 6 pairs of various sizes. It’s easy to imagine that following a request for vases and candlesticks to decorate the altar members living in their Castle Road Villas enjoying the advantages of electric lighting searching the back of cupboards to find the now no longer needed candlesticks. Just another example of the Panaceans finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Inside the Chapel, 1930
