Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Flaybrick Mortuary Chapel

Have created this topic to record observations made at Flaybrick Chapel.

Went there today to have a look at the mysterious symbols on the masonry. Place looks even more knackered now, with most of roofing beams gone and most of internal plasterwork fallen down. Plenty of shrubs growing in it now. Don't know how they could use this for a bat sanctuary now - its so far gone.

Anyway, here are the photos:

Overview of which side each symbol lies
Anchor/heart/cross
IHS
Falling dove
Eye of Providence

Not sure of significance but chapel is built with front facing east.

The gargoyles on the tower are peculiar. Gargoyles usually perform the task of being an outlet for drains, but all 4 of the creatures do not appear to be doing this. They all appear to be dragons, the ones to the front have rounder eyes. The other peculiar thing is that on front and back the gargoyles appear to be looking at the same point in the landscape. The front ones look north-east and the back ones look south west. The front ones even appear to be focusing on a point in the cemetery.

Front gargoyles

Also note the Star of David symbols - each face of the tower has 2 in the same place.

Know this much about it so far - Flaybrick was designed by Edward Kemp so can only assume he designed the chapel. Have failed to find anything on web about it but will try reference library. Will see if I can get plans maybe. Such a peculiar layout with the middle section appearing too narrow to be a place to hold a service - more like a corridor between the end rooms which are also not very wide. Maybe this was literally a place to keep the bodies before they were taken for burial. Kind of like a chapel of rest or something. Will do some internet digging on the subject and report back.

The Star of David symbol to which you refer is another Masonic/New World Order symbol.

I had a feeling it was. It is my suspicion that a lot of the founding 'fathers' of our town were masons (illuminati). After all its probably the likes of Laird or Jackson who ok'd the plans for the chapel.

I am convinced the bird falling is an inverted dove and not a sign of the holy spirit.

ye may find this interesting symbols and therir meaning

I was actually wondering about that myself.

The "falling dove" should look something like this picture. It is essentially the depiction of the Trinity.

Its odd how it has rays coming down from the clouds which expreses a downward movement (oh great, now I sound like an art historian lol). Those rays are very similar to the ones on the triangle behind the eye.

I would be interested to look at chapels of the same age and see what they reveal but can't think where that would be on Wirral.

Interesting little article about Victorian cemeteries: http://www.tchevalier.com/fallingangels/bckgrnd/cemeteries/

I'm sure someone on here will have a good idea of where to look.

That link is a good one, more Illuminati references that are not mentioned directly

Hi guys, the main chapel in Flaybrick was a C/E and Non Comformist and the Roman Catholic chapel was down towards lower Flaybrick road near the rear entrance but has been demolished,there is a plaque in the grass somewhere commerating this,as far as i am aware the morturary was also down the rear end of the cemetery in the area now fenced off .
As you maybe aware the lay out of the cemetery is split in to three distinct areas r/c, c/e and non comformist .The Laird and Jackson family graves are both in the c/e section

looks like ive opened a can of worms with this flaybrick thread i cant believe how much history there is there and ive never bin will have to go and look next time im home!

Just to let you know guys there is already an extensive thread covering a lot of flaybricks history .

i never knew flaybrick was there till i read the threads!

Yeah would be good just to keep this thread about the Mortuary Chapel. I did knw it was for CofE and Non-Conformists (or as they called them then - Dissenters). I have a feeling from the dimension that it wasn't used for services but maybe for people to pay their last respects. I don't know a tremendous lot about Victorian era but know that this is when they got a bit obsessed about death and made it into quite a high drama occasion with all the ceremony (think of the carriages drawn by horses with black feather plumes on their heads etc).
WHen I get to library next I am going to ask them if they have the plans of the chapel. Its a shame the RC one got pulled down - Ithink it was due to a fire. Could barely read the memorial stone yesterday but think it was in the 70s that it was erected.

Thinking about the position of the building again it was very deliberate to have it facing the way it does. It looks towards Liverpool (where a lot of the residents at that time would have come over from) and that big long drive up to it would have added to the drama.

If anyone wants to do a daytime wander round there let me know - I can never get tired of the place!

I'm up for that MissGuided

Cool

Hmmm, i wonder what the gargoyles are staring at?