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Stanton Lees Chapel,
Lees Road,
Stanton Lees, Youlgreave, Derbyshire.

Cemeteries

We believe the Chapel does NOT have a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1863, and we understand it is still open.

This is another chapel which exploits the lie of the land. There are two storeys, with the entrance to the chapel in the upper storey at ground level, and with what might be living accomodation below.

It has the distinctive feature of 3 plaques above its entrance, and a course of inscribed stones between the two storeys, which at a guess may be memorials to benefactors. Unfortunately, it isn't possible from Google StreetView to read any of the inscriptions!

Thankfully a Church History on Stanton Lees Chapel website helps out, as apparently the 3 plaques record dates of its building in 1863, a rebuilding in 1898, and it becoming Independent in 1971.

Kelly's Directories of 1895, 1912 and 1932 say it was formerly a Wesleyan Reform Chapel. Derbyshire Ancestral Research Group, who have transcribed the inscriptions, do however record it as "Independent". Further details of its history, recording the congregation's foundation in services held in a cottage occupied by a Mr. Samuel Howsley, prior to the 1840s, are available on the church's website.

Appositely, the return to the Religious Census of 1851 (HO 129/449/1/24/44) refers to a "Dwelling House" erected in 1833, licensed as a place or worship at Stanton Hill Side for a Wesleyan Methodist congregation. All the sittings were free, with an estimated congregation on March 30th of 20 in the afternoon. The return was completed by Benjamin Burrs, "Wesleyan Methodist Local Preacher", who described himself as a Grocer, of Stanton Hillside, "Matlock, Winster, Derbyshire".

The following notice in The London Gazette of 30th April 1929 (p.2868) records its registration for marriages:

A Separate Building, duly certified for religious worship, named STANTON LEES CHAPEL, situated at Stanton Lees, in the civil parish of Stanton, in the county of Derbyshire, in Bakewell registration district, was, on the 26th April, 1929, registered for solemnizing marriages therein pursuant to 6 & 7 Wm. IV, c.85. Dated 27th April, 1929.

There is ample car parking opposite the church - "The 'Maranatha' Car Park" labelled specifically for Chapel Visitors, readily identified by its distinctive red sign.

Note: both Stanton Lees and Stanton in Peak have/had Wesleyan Reform Chapels, and both had the address of "Lees Road"; but in fact they are quite far distant from one another. Apparently only Stanton Lees Chapel has records of baptisms, included in Derbyshire Record Office's Non-Conformist Register Guide for the period 1877-1967.

Denomination

Now or formerly Wesleyan Reform/Independent.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Chapel is located at OS grid reference SK2528263052. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Stanton Lees Chapel, Stanton Lees, Youlgreave shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Youlgreave shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Stanton Lees, Youlgreave, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• You may want to visit Stanton Lees Chapel website for present-day information.
• Notices of Civil Registration of Places of Worship for marriages are published in the London edition of The Gazette. Hint: search for registrations from 1998 by choosing 'Church' notices, and the option 'Registration for solemnising marriage'. (verified 2018-12-11)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.