Description:
The Dissenters' Chapel, located within the first great private London Cemetery of All Souls, Kensal Green, was completed in 1834 to the designs of John Griffith of Finsbury. The Greek Revival Chapel, originally decorated in a simple austere fashion was during the 1870's overhauled, fitted with gas lighting and redecorated by a high quality firm of decorators with an ornate stenciled and marbled scheme. After World War II the Dissenters' Chapel fell into disuse as the newly constructed crematorium and the Anglican Chapel came to be used increasingly for funeral services. By the 1970s the lead from the chapel and the colonnade roofs had been stolen. The chapel was re-roofed, but no work was done to the colonnades and due to subsequent decay they had to be demolished in 1976 to prevent a catastrophic collapse. In the 1980s a vehicle broke through the brick vaulted roof of the catacombs. In 1991 English Heritage designated the chapel a "Building at Risk" and initiated a project to save it. In partnership with The Historic Chapels Trust, North Kensington City Challenge and The Heritage Lottery Fund they provided expertise and funding to secure its repair. The main intention was not only to preserve this important part of local heritage, but also to encourage the use of the cemetery as a public space. For this purpose the restored chapel will serve as the headquarters of the Friends of Kensal Green, for presenting the cemetery and its buildings and monument to visitors.