Our Heritage

It will be a centre where local photographs and documents can be stored and shared; where family trees can be researched; where the history of houses can be displayed; where the older inhabitants can record their memories for posterity, and where youngsters can find out about all aspects of the past.

With a Wifi connection, individual research can be supported.

Establishing a Heritage Centre in the Cheriton Fitzpaine Methodist Chapel would celebrate its own important history but also enable villagers to preserve the history of their entire parish.

The Methodist Chapel served the village for more than 160 years before a dwindling congregation led to its closure in April 2024. It is an iconic, red brick building right in the middle of Cheriton Fitzpaine and stands in striking contrast to the cob and thatched cottages along the main road. It stands back from the line of the street and stands out as a unique, pleasingly symmetrical building.

Built as a Bible Christian Chapel in 1860 by John Prior, who lived at Moxeys, it cost just £280 to construct. The site had been sold to the congregation by James B Thorne in Victoria House. He was a draper, grocer and baker. His only son, Edwin grew up to become superintendent of the thriving Sunday School and he raised the funds to add a schoolroom to the side of the Chapel.

Without renovation and a meaningful purpose, the future of the Chapel is in question. Villagers are keen to preserve the buildings so that they can continue into serve the community.

Some History

In the middle of the 19th century the Methodist conference adopted the ideas of Rev Jobson who had trained as an architect and advocated that chapels should show beauty and perfection in their design and execution without unnecessary adornment.

The Cheriton Fitzpaine chapel itself has not been altered externally apart from the addition of the schoolroom to one side, and its interior remains attractively uncomplicated, with clean, elegant plasterwork. With a strong tradition of choirs and recital it has hosted many large-scale events across the years, Diaries and recordings have captured the details of harvest festivals, Sunday school celebrations and visits from travelling preachers.

The village is often visited by afficionados of the world-famous author, Jean Rhys who lived and wrote here for 19 years, eventually completing her book, The Wide Sargasso Sea. Some have travelled from overseas to gain a sense of the community in which she spent her final years.

Holidaymakers today staying in a variety of accommodation from shepherd’s huts to cottages show great interest in the buildings in the main part of the village, and in the stories that locals are able to tell about the two churches and the school that have served the community for so long. Pats members of the congregation, including one or two who were evacuated to the village from London in WW2 have published their memories of the school room and chapel, and there is no doubt that locals value keeping history alive.

Chapels that resemble the Cheriton Fitzpaine building can be found at Mattishall, Mansfield and Youlgrave, although none is exactly the same. They are characterised by narrow, arched windows either side of a central entrance.

The Bible Christian movement was a Methodist denomination founded by William O’Bryan and established primarily in Cornwall and Devon They sent missionaries out all over England and were amalgamated with the main Methodist movement at the start of the 20th century.

At that time, the village was characterized by its close-knit community, deeply rooted in Methodist traditions, with the local chapel serving as a hub for religious and social gatherings.

The villagers, primarily engaged in farming, led lives marked by routine and piety, which stood in stark contrast to Rhys’s unconventional background. Her presence in the village was met with curiosity and, at times, skepticism. Some locals perceived her as an enigmatic figure, with rumors suggesting she was taken for a witch due to her reclusive nature and mysterious past.