A centuries old chapel described as an "oasis of calm" has a surprising link to one of the most notorious witch trials in history.
The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth is the final resting place of some of Liverpool's most revered families. The chapel has stood on the corner of what is now Park Road and Dingle Lane for over 400-years.
The Grade I listed building was built by a small, Puritan community in what was at the time the lush open countryside of the former royal deer park of Toxteth. Towards the end of the 16th century, Puritan farmers settled in the area, setting up 25 farms on land outside of Church of England control which became Toxteth Village.
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It was at the ancient chapel, now known as Toxteth Unitarian Chapel, where the Puritan villagers worshipped. The chapel's first minister was a man called Richard Mather, who preached his first sermon the year the chapel was completed, 1618, and went on to be ordained in The Church of England.
He was, however, a rebellious minister and was suspended by the ministry in 1633, and again in 1634, for "nonconformist" preaching. He had a great reputation in Liverpool as a preacher but in 1635 he was persuaded to join the company of pilgrims and emigrate to New England in America.
He went on to become a celebrated Puritan Minister and teacher in colonial Boston, Massachusetts until his death in 1669. His son, Increase Mather, was also a Puritan Minister in New England and become involved in the Salem Witch trials, as did his own son Cotton Mather (Richard's grandson) who gave them his unwavering support.
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The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than two hundred people were accused of practising witchcraft during the infamous trials.
Arrests were made in a number of towns beyond Salem and Salem Village - known today as Danvers. 30 people were found guilty, nineteen of those were executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men). One man was pressed to death for refusing to plead while at least five others died in jail.
The trials and executions all took place in Salem Town. It's noted as an act of mass, religious hysteria and is the deadliest witch hunt in the history of colonial North America. Many historians consider the trials to have been highly influential on the history of the United States.
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The events of the witch trials now serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of isolation, religious extremism, false accusations, and lapses in due process. Back in England, by 1662 the ancient chapel had a Presbyterian minister named Thomas Crompton who was joined by another dissenter, Michael Briscoe.
In 1672 the chapel was enlarged to accommodate dissenters from central Liverpool. But as more chapels were built it became neglected and fell into disrepair. In 1774 it was partly rebuilt.
A porch was added in 1841, and up until the pandemic in 2020, a service was still held on the first and third Sundays of each month. A visit to the Ancient Chapel of Toxteth is like stepping back hundreds of years.
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Although the hidden gem is just a short drive from Liverpool city centre, as soon as you enter the Park Road chapel the sound of heavy traffic outside melts away - along with the rest of the modern world. Described as an "oasis of calm" It looks out-of-step with the modern world with its green baize-covered box pews, pulpit, a wind-up clock, and an upstairs gallery.
Speaking to the ECHO in 2018 on the chapel's 400th anniversary, church secretary and guide, Leslie Gabriel, said: "I wish I had a pound for every time someone has said to me, 'I go past the chapel every day, but I've never seen inside it'.
"The chapel has an atmosphere all its own and is an oasis of calm on what is a very busy road. This is still a working church and our services are not stuffy or formalised.
"As a Protestant Nonconformist chapel, we are neither Roman Catholic nor Church of England. We're not dogmatic and we welcome everybody - all we ask is that we mutually respect one another."
There is a similarly peaceful burial ground where members of some of the most revered Liverpool families - with names such as Rathbone, Molyneux, Melly, and Mather - are buried. During its 400-year history, the church has been known under various names, such as the Old Park Chapel and Toxteth Park Church.
It is by far the oldest non-conformist place of worship in Liverpool and been described as the 'mother-church' of most forms of religious dissent in the city.
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