Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 10/17/1972
NRHP Listing Date 04/24/1973
NRHP Reference Number 73002038
Lower Chapel is one of two chapels ordered in 1710, along with the main parish church, to serve Middlesex County’s Christ Church Parish. The other chapel does not survive. Lower Chapel, begun in 1714, was so named because it was located in the lower part of the parish. As a secondary structure, the building was architecturally spare, having plain English-bond brick walls instead of Flemish bond, with no rubbed or otherwise decorated brickwork. It achieves visual distinction, however, through the use of a steep clipped-gable roof. Completed in 1717, the Lower Chapel served the parish until it was abandoned following the disestablishment. The building was acquired by the Methodists in 1857 and has since been used by that denomination with the designation Lower Church.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: March 30, 2023
