Woodford Bible Christian Chapel

(OS SS219136)

This chapel replaced, in 1883, the original Bible Christian Chapel a hundred yards away.
This was founded in 1837 and was only superseded when it became too small for its congregation. It is now two private dwelling houses.
This explains why, although the building dates from 1883, the graveyard contains monumental inscriptions dating from April 1864.

The Old Chapel (41K)	The Chapel as it is now (68K)

You may wish to read the chronology of these two chapels as I have pieced it together as well as their later history.

The graveyard has been tidied by the removal of curbstones, but no known relocation has taken place.

No records, other than this (and of course the stones themselves), exist due to an unfortunate fire some years ago which destroyed what records there were.

The earliest reference is the 1841 tithe map which also indicates the location of the earlier chapel.
Field Number 1643 contains grey buildings - the western-most is the original Bible Christian Chapel.
Field Number 1646 is the location where the new chapel and graveyard was to be built in 1883.

The tithe schedule details both field as :-
1643 House and Garden (un-named but part of Coleman's Woodford) 19 poles in area owned by Thomas Trood and occupied by Richard Gilbert and John Tuckfield
1646 Little Bloody Pool Meadow (Common Ground) 2 roods and 13 poles in area owned and occupied by John Cholwell

A sketchmap (119K) has been prepared which locates all gravestones and indicates some otherwise unmarked graves There are over 200 inscriptions recorded ranging from 1864 to the present day.

Both church and graveyard are still in use.

The original recording was completed in 1982 but has since been updated in 2001.