Architecture and Furnishings of King's Chapel
Emily K.
King's Chapel is one of the oldest and well-preserved
colonial churches. The church has some interesting stories to go along
with its architecture. Many famous people in Boston's history play some
kind of role in the history of King's Chapel. (picture is from a postcard
bought at King's Chapel)
In 1686, Robert Ratcliff was sent to the colonies
to found the Anglican Church, or the Church of England. He got a group
of people to join the Church, and they met in the town hall. But, after
a few years the colonists who were mostly Puritan, didn't want them in
there anymore, and they also wouldn't sell them any land. So, they decided
to take some land off of a man's farm land and just build there.
They built it out of wood so it didn't last very
long. The Anglicans wrote to the King who sent them some money and gifts
to build a new one. This second church was built around the first, so
that they could continue attending church while it was being built.
This church was designed by Peter Harrison in 1749.
They made it out of quarried stone from Quincy. It was the first large
building to be built out of stone in Boston. King James II donated the
pulpit, which is still there today. After the outside of the new church
was completed they tore down the inside church and threw the pieces out
the windows!
The
interior of the church is very elegant and beautiful. The pews (or benches)
are in boxes with the pews facing each other so some had their backs to
the preacher. The point of having boxes was because the high walls would
keep them warm in the winter. They also had foot warmers in the boxes.
Each family had their own box and would pay a "pew rent" to
the church. This way a family always had the same box and could keep their
own Bibles and such inside. The pews in the church are original pews.
The pulpit is where the preachers gives the sermon from. It is placed
high above the pews so that everyone could see and hear the sermon. Above
it is a suspended canopy, this was used to project and amplify the preachers
voice (they didn't have microphones back then).
On
top of King's Chapel is a very famous bell that was made by the very famous
Paul Revere. He cast this bell in 1816. It is the largest bell he ever
cast. They would ring the bell when important people died and it was actually
rung for Revere himself two years after he completed it. (The two above
pictures are from the King's Chapel The First Century: 1686 - 1787 booklet,
revised December 1976.)
Outside the church, along the front, are columns. This is a very unique feature among American Colonial churches. They are Corinthian columns which were hand carved by William Burbeck. Beside King's Chapel is a burying ground where some very famous people are buried.
Bibliography
Forbes, Esther. Paul Revere and the World He Lived In. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company,1942.
"The Freedom Trail-King's Chapel and Burying
Ground". 20 October 2000
<http://www.nps.gov./bost/King's_Chapel.html>
Harris, Patricia, and Lyon, David. Boston. Boston:
Compass American Guides, 1997.
King's Chapel Association. Welcome to King's Chapel:
A self-guided tour. 1998.
Mayer, Andre. King's Chapel The First Century:
1686-1787. Boston: December, 1976.
Schofield, William. Freedom by the Bay - The Boston Freedom Trail. Boston: Branden Publishing Company, 1988