Faith features

John Richards originally built his private family chapel in Mappleborough, near Redditch, as a place for quiet contemplation for himself and his wife Muriel.

He told BBC Hereford & Worcester's Howard Bentham at Breakfast the idea originally came to him as a result of the Easter services held on the nearby hill:

The chapel

"We like to think this is a spiritual hill, and for many years we've had crosses erected on the hill at Easter time, and we have a service. 

"So many wonderful things have happened at these services, and it has slowly led me to the idea of having a place of worship for after the service on the hill."

The result is a small chapel, 12 feet by 8 feet, with six pews and a gothic-style church window, specially made for John Richards by a friend.

Special atmosphere

He believes the atmosphere in the chapel comes, in part, from the care they took over the fittings and furniture:

"It is a very powerful place – a lot has got to do with the materials we used. 

Inside the chapel

"They have seen many thousands of services over the years, in their previous homes, and it all adds to the ethos of the place.

"It's taken a period of 18 months, going in and out of reclamation yards."

At the Easter services in 2008 more than 30 people crammed into the chapel, but John says it will essentially stay a private place of worship.

He has no plans hold weddings there, though he can understand its attraction as a venue:

"It's a lovely little idyllic chapel for a family wedding, but of course we can't do that, because it's not licensed  - it is a small private family chapel, which we build just for us, and because of that it's not licensed, and it never will be licensed."