After standing empty for many years, a disused historic Stoke on Trent chapel in Etruria has been beautifully restored and refurbished by its owner and is now enjoying a new lease of life as a venue for bespoke funeral services.
Following the chapel’s letting, handled by Louis Taylor on behalf of the chapel’s owner, Mr David Byatt, families can now give their loved ones a personalised send-off in this lovely old building, formerly the Wesleyan Chapel, which has been restored as a mix of traditional and modern, and decorated in Wedgwood colours.
The Grade II-listed chapel, complete with its own lovely stained-glass windows, was originally built in 1820 in the typical style of that period with a gallery upstairs that still features the original dark wood pews. Inside are memorials to local dignitaries including Jesse Shirley, who ran the bone and flint mill which is now Etruria Industrial Museum.
David Byatt, the chapel’s owner and a partner in Byatt Oliver, a firm of architects and planning consultants, bought the old chapel some five years ago and set about restoring it to its former glory, as well as installing modern touches such as underfloor heating. David actually worked on the design and refurbishment of the chapel himself, undertaking the majority of the works personally. The end result is a real credit to him.
Louis Taylor have regularly worked alongside Byatt Oliver as a firm of architects and planning consultants to provide a valuable, bespoke and professional service to their mutual clients.
Said David Byatt, “Louis Taylor was instrumental in the original acquisition of the chapel. The agency proactively found a solution that suited both ourselves as purchasers and also the vendor.
“On this occasion Louis Taylor were equally integral in the leasing of the refurbished property, meeting our exact requirements for ‘off market’ marketing, and assessing any potential tenants before showing them around the property.”
As it was, the new tenant, Celebrant Kate Moran, wanted to offer families an alternative to traditional funeral venues but had not been able to find a suitable location. Kate revealed that the old chapel hadn’t even been advertised when she first saw it, and when she did she nearly burst into tears because it was so beautiful. The kind of place she had dreamed of.