Our church was officially founded in 1771, although its roots go back much further. A small congregation was established in 1696 in a chapel adjacent to our current premises, but this chapel was destroyed by fire in 1765.

 

In 1837 Honiton Independent Chapel was accredited with solemnising marriages, one of only 63 non-conformist churches to do so in the country.

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The leasehold of the property was secured in 1844 for £5.

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Additions to the chapel include the Prayer Room (immediately adjacent on the right of the chapel) and the British School Room at the rear. It was here that a branch of the British School Movement was established in the early 19th century to educate the poor and uneducated children of the town.

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You can read or download the history of the first 200 years of the church by Donald Cooke below and the recently compiled history of the last 50 years to mark the church's 250th anniversary. Our thanks to Liz Snell for collecting and compiling this information.