THE Brompton Episcopal Chapel, situate close to the Brompton-road, in Montpelier-street, is a structure strictly Georgian in its character, Georgian indeed to the back-bone, if one may be allowed to use such an expression ecclesiastically. It has no beauties to make it worthy a visit in the search after the picturesque. It is simply ugly outside, and very little more may be said of it inside. It rather reminded us of old Kensington Church, without its historical interest. Like all buildings of the kind, it has its painted columns supporting a flat ceiling, and high-back gallery. It has its high pulpit and prayer-desk, each duly draped in hot velvet, its high-backed pews comfortably shut up and cushioned, in fact, everything belonging to it is high, only that it would be too much to call it High Church.
This chapel attained its centenary in 1869, being opened on Easter Sunday, 1769, as a chapel of ease to the parish church of Kensington. The Rev. Richard Harrison was the first minister, who was a preacher of some note, and continued his labours to the end of life, which occurred in 1793. A tablet to his memory may now be seen on the south side of the Communion-table. Since then the course of the ministry has been somewhat chequered, and not always connected with the happiest reminiscences. Although so ancient a chapel, it appears to have been generally poor, and the only relic it contains of bygone days is a set of old _pewter_ collecting-plates, having the original engraving, “The Parish of Kensington.” The building is now seen in every respect as it was at the beginning. It has successfully resisted all modern innovations; no alterations of any kind have taken place, excepting that a coating of stucco has been bestowed upon the front. The same is true of the character of the public service. It has rigidly preserved its own unadorned plainness, against all the ecclesiastical refinements of later years. The clergy are ordained ministers in the Church of England, and licensed by the Bishop of London, and the present are the Rev. W. Dunford, who is also the private owner of the property, and the Rev. W. Crofts Bullen, assistant minister. The latter was doing duty at the time of our visit, with rather a thin congregation, but showed considerable earnestness, read distinctly and audibly, and preached in his black gown an extempore discourse on Rev. iv. 3. The sublime passage was expounded by references to other parts of Scripture, connected with some plain, out-spoken utterances applied to the audience in a fearless and faithful manner. Regarding the text as symbolical of the Holy Trinity—it being Trinity Sunday—the preacher knew nothing about “the liberality of faith in the nineteenth century.” There was “a severe and hard line to be drawn between the believer and unbeliever, the saved and the unsaved.”