Tour lifts lid on chapel gems

Yesterday a tour of hidden gems, ranging from a small tin tabernacle in Wolverhampton to a large Salvation Army citadel in Cradley Heath, highlighted their many different faces.

"There is such a variety of chapels in the Black Country," says Norman Schofield, aged 80, from Penn, who was on the trip for members of the Workers Educational Association (WEA) led by historian Ned Williams.

"I never knew there were so many and they all seem to be tucked away, down small streets and in dark corners."

First stop on the tour was Upper Ettingshall Methodist Church, which was known as "Sodom Chapel" because many of the congregation were drunks and gamblers. The building, in Upper Ettingshall Road, is Wolverhampton's own version of the Crooked House – it tilts because it was built on ash.

Next on the tour was the People's Mission Hall, in Swan Street, Netherton, which is a pretty red brick building dating back to 1934, when it cost £3,800 to build.

Brian Payton, chairman of the ministry team, says: "Of all the chapels in Netherton it is wonderful that ours was chosen for the tour. There are 12 churches in a one-mile radius but there are a lot of things people don't know about their local chapels."

Next stop was the Salvation Army church in Cradley Heath, where Captain Gordon Roberts explained how the old building, which existed from 1893 to 2004, was replaced by the recent church costing £1.75 million.

Fourth on the tour was the Cave Adullam Baptist Chapel on Beeches Road in Blackheath, which dates from 1897

Pastor James Zenker, from the US, says: "We are reaching out to local teenagers who need direction and we go into the town three times a week to talk to people."

Last stop was the Pond Lane Mission Church in Wolverhampton which is a 110-year-old Church of England tin tabernacle.

And the tour was certainly a hit with the WEA members. Margaret Flanagan, aged 85, from Shifnal, says: "I have been impressed with how presentable and well-maintained all the churches are."

Chris Smith, 63, from Tettenhall Wood, says: "I used to travel around the country listening to my grandfather preach, so I have always had an interest in churches."

Rita Hutchins, 61, from Finchfield, says: "There are so many churches in this area that you could never get around them in a day – probably not even in a year."

Historian Ned Williams added: "We saw a lot of different chapels but they all have one thing in common – the people who all show a great loyalty and love for them. We can examine a church's architecture but it's the people who actually make it what it is."

Dave Fletcher, aged 62, from Wednesfield, says: "When you are younger you are keen to see the world. It is only when you are older that you become curious about what is on your doorstep."