Ebenezers

Remembered by many in Hythe as the building covered in ivy, in fact some people remembered the ivy but could not recall the building.

Extended and extensively refitted inside, the building takes its name from its original name: "The Ebenezer Chapel".

Hythe had an earlier Congregational Chapel on another site but that had gone out of use well before 1844 when an application was made to use the house of Jane Rawlins as a place of religious worship. During the following year a new chapel was built behind Jane's house. With 122 free sittings and 78 others, the building was opened for public worship on May 28th 1845.

The chapel was considered to be in need of replacing by the turn of the century and in 1909 it was agreed to sell the chapel and its surrounding land once a replacement building could be provided. Land in Atheling Road was obtained and the foundation stone of the new chapel was laid on June 10th 1914.

With the opening of the new building on 7th November of the same year the Ebenezer was closed and sold to Mr William Longman, the local coal merchant. Used as a coal store for many years the building more recently was used by Bells Furnishings of Hythe as a furniture store.

In February 1998 work commenced to convert and extend the former chapel into a bar/creperie. The building consisted of 13 inch solid red brick walls up to the eaves with gable ends continuing up in 9 inch brickwork.The east gable was found to be unstable and was rebuilt at the same time as the old double coal store doors were in filled.

Internally there was an open fronted minstrel's gallery/mezzanine floor above the eastern entrance. This was removed during the alterations. Still visible on the internal west wall was a semi-circular inscription which read:

HOLY SPIRIT HELP TO FILL THIS PLACE.

Surely a fitting comment.