Herefordshire Through Time
Herefordshire Through Time
Historic Environment Record reference no. 36617, Ordnance Survey grid reference: SO 4515 3223
A Zion Chapel at Didley which is shown on the 1887 1st Edition OS map but not on the current edition.
HER no. 36630, OS grid ref: SO 4813 2130
A Mission Room to the east of Broad Oak crossroads. It is shown on the 1903 OS map and the current edition.
HER no. 36624, OS grid ref: SO 5580 2629
A Plymouth Brethren Meeting Room to the south of Upper Grove Common, shown on the 1887 1st Edition OS map, but not on the current edition.
HER no. 36625, OS grid ref: SO 5592 2648
A Mission Room to the east of Upper Grove Common. It is shown on the 1887 1st Edition OS map, but not on the current edition.
HER no. 36930, OS grid ref: SO 4020 6195
A small red brick chapel in the centre of Shobdon village, not far from the Bateman Arms Public House.
The chapel was built around 1924 by Mr. Saxon and helpers from Kingsland. The congregation came from the Wesleyan Mission Room, which had been built by Mr. Ross on his own ground. At one time nearly the whole of Shobdon was owned by the Squire, and he expected people to go only to the Parish Church. Some people preferred to worship in the Mission Room and so they met in secret on Sunday evenings.When they wanted a new chapel Mr. Williams of the Tan House in Shobdon donated some land in the centre of the village.
During World War II Shobdon Chapel was home to Methodists from all over the world, including Polish airmen, Jamaicans, Scots and WAAFS.
The chapel was redecorated in 1976 and a new floor was laid and carpeted.
(Information taken from Fred Bluck, Methodism in the Marches)
HER no. 30598, OS grid ref: SO 3185 6538
A Chapel called "Mortuary Chapel" on the 1964 OS map. It is in a large cemetery on the outskirts of the village of Stapleton. It is also marked on the 1st Edition OS map. It is possibly a Methodist or Non-conformist chapel for Stapleton or Presteigne.
HER no. 31409, OS grid ref: SO 3483 6105
A Baptist Chapel situated between the villages of Staunton-on-Arrow and Stansbatch, in the north-west of the county. On the 1839 Tithe Map it is listed as Powell's Garden, but on the 1st Edition OS map of 1890 it is marked as a Particular Baptist Chapel.
The chapel has a narrow brick front with a steeply pitched roof and the sides are covered by corrugated iron. To the one side of the chapel is an attached graveyard with a fair number of graves.
The chapel is still in use today.
HER no. 35590, OS grid ref: SO 3622 5948
This brick chapel is located about 4 miles south-east of Presteigne and close to the village of Staunton-on-Arrow. The chapel is of red brick and has a slate roof. It has been built with its side facing the main road. The walls were once whitewashed. At the front of the building is a porch with a round-headed window on either side. Over the porch are the words "Ebenezer Primitive Methodist Chapel 1864", inscribed in a scroll decoration.
In his book Pastor at Pembridge, G.L. Harriman remembers Noke Lane Head Chapel in the 1950s: "The main support came from the Baptist family at Grove farm... One could generally count on a congregation of 10 to 12 there". He also mentions that the Sunday service was an afternoon one.
The chapel was originally a Primitive Methodist Chapel and there was a flourishing Sunday School there in the 1920s. Camp Meetings were also held in a field behind the chapel and then later in a field between the Forge and Titley, and after that by the side of the railway line.
In 1920 the chapel was licensed for marriages, and electricity was installed in 1958. In later years services were shared with the chapel at New Street, Lyonshall, before Lyonshall Chapel was closed.
The congregation at Noke Lane Head began to dwindle and on 6th July 1984 the building was sold for £5,800.
(Information taken from Fred Bluck, Methodism in the Marches)
HER no. 36560, OS grid ref: SO 3615 4520
Staunton-on-Wye chapel stands on the western edge of the village at the side of the main road that leads through the village.
In 1843 the committee meeting minutes mention a preaching room at Staunton-on-Wye but no chapel, and by 1849 the membership was seventeen.
By March 1862 it was decided that there was need for a chapel, and Brother Maskell and Brother Timms were sent to see H. Cottrell Esq. to try and obtain some land on which to place a chapel. They were successful and in 1866 the land was secured. Two years later the chapel, designed to hold 140 people, was completed at a cost of £186.
The membership of this chapel over the years shows early periods of a rise in membership followed by a steep drop in numbers:
| 1853 | 11 members |
| 1884 | 39 members |
| 1906 | 31 members |
| 1912 | 26 members |
| 1916 | 27 members |
| 1931 | 10 members |
In 1885 it appears that the members of Staunton-on-Wye chapel had their differences, and a letter was written from the Quarterly Meeting stating that"This meeting learns with regret of the unpleasantness in the Staunton Society and time it was put an end to". This appears to have been a temporary problem.
Later on in its life Staunton was transferred to the Bromyard Circuit due to the drop in chapel attendance. This meant, however, that the minister had further to travel and Staunton suffered neglect in pastoral care and leadership, so eventually the number of members was reduced to five or six. Inevitably, Staunton-on-Wye Chapel was closed in 1967.
The key to the chapel was left with the caretaker and as no one asked for it back the small remaining congregation continued to hold Sunday services in the chapel. In October of 1967 someone offered to buy the chapel and the Methodist Society agreed. The building became the Evangelical Free Church and improvements were made to the structure.
Numbers began to increase and the Sunday School became too popular to accommodate all those who wished to join.
By the 1980s numbers had dropped again and the Sunday School was closed due to a lack of young people in the area, but Sunday service continued to be held.
(Information taken from Fred Bluck, Methodism in the Marches)
HER no. 24808, OS grid ref: SO 5329 4555
A post-medieval chapel that is now disused and has been converted into a dwelling. The building is of red brick with a hipped slate roof. Along the side are four round-headed windows, which are almost certainly the original style.
The building is marked as a Congregational Chapel on the 1st Edition OS map of 1889 and is situated opposite the Golden Cross Inn in the centre of the village.