IT still feels like a chapel. The pipes of the organ, pointing majestically up to heaven, still dominate the back wall, flanked on either side by grand wooden panelling, but now rather than the instrument’s swelling sounds, the air is full of the chink of china cups, the scrapes of knives on plates, the steamy blasts of a coffee machine and the chatter of people talking.
The closure of Cotherstone Wesleyan Chapel a couple of years ago coincided with the shutting of the post office and village shop, and together these losses threatened the workings of rural life. The community, though, has rallied around and obtained £180,000 from Durham County Council, raised £120,000 itself and ploughed countless volunteer hours into restoring the building.
At the end of June, it reopened as a café with a small shop attached.
The raised sanctuary area in front of the organ has been kept, and carpeted, and the wooden lectern from which the minister led the service has been replaced by a glass screen, creating a very attractive sitting area. The box pews have been taken out, the floor reassembled, and now random-sized tables, chairs and sofas fill the main body of the chapel – they could do with a few more, judging by the numbers of people trying to squeeze into them last Saturday.
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Each table is decorated with an attractive glass of wildflowers from a nearby flower farm.
The café menu is understandably limited to sandwiches, scones – made at the chapel every day – and breakfast buns, but there’s also pork pies, Scotch eggs and sausage rolls from McFarlane’s of Barnard Castle.
The sandwiches (all £6.90), were beautifully presented in triangles accompanied by a salad, coleslaw and a few crisps. Theo, our son, had a packed cheese sandwich while Petra, my wife, chose the hummus, tomato and chutney – generously filled and on very nice bread.
I went for the mushroom, broccoli and cheddar quiche meal (£7.50), which came with the same accompaniments – a genuine coleslaw, I thought (some supermarket ones taste a bit plasticky) and I got a few vegetable crisps thrown in with my potato ones.
The quiche, which had been warmed, was substantial. That’s not meant as a criticism. Some quiches can be a bit lightweight and dribbly, but this was packed with tasty ingredients: chunks of broccoli, potato and mushroom with a noticeable cheddar topping.
Arrayed on the counter was a fine selection of cakes made by volunteer bakers. They had been busy: pecan and walnut, lemon, Victoria sponge, chocolate fudge and a massive three-tiered Bakewell cake.
We chose from the traybake section (each £2.50): Theo’s snowy rocky road did not last long, Petra pronounced her lemon drizzle nicely lemony, while I enjoyed my Vegan chocolate and orange, in which both flavours were very noticeable.
We washed them down with fancy coffees (£3 to £3.90) made on one of those noisy machines stationed beneath a colourful stained glass window of the Good Shepherd.
As well as being a shop, the chapel is a heritage centre, and the walls had a display about Bentley Beetham – a Cotherstone resident who, 100 years ago, joined Irving and Mallory on their ill-fated attempt to conquer Everest – and also one about Joseph Armory, to whom the impressive window is dedicated.
He had many interests, from Willington FC to the Darlington Pure Ice & Cold Storage Company, and he was a stalwart Methodist. He was treasurer of the chapel in 1925 when the centrepiece organ and wood panelling was installed.
A hundred years on, he’d probably be disappointed that faith is no longer central to modern life, but surely he’d be delighted that the chapel which he loved has not been allowed to fall derelict and nor has been lost to the public by being converted into a private house.
It is still serving the village and the wider dale – Cotherstone does have two pubs but between Barney and Middleton, there is a real paucity of places for the dog-walker or day-tripper to drop in on for a quick cake.
My reveries were interrupted by a couple who’d been refreshing on the dais area beside the organ and had spotted my surreptitious scribbling. “This deserves a decent write-up,” said the man as he passed.
He’s right, and I hope I have done it justice.
Cotherstone Old Chapel
Cotherstone
DL12 9UL
Web: theoldchapel.info
Hours: Monday to Saturday: 9am to 5pm (closed Tuesday). Sunday: 10am-3pm.
Ratings
Surroundings: 9
Food quality: 8
Service: 8
Value for money: 8
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