This hamlet is part of the parish of Great Witchingham. The chapel, situated in The Street, was erected by the Wesleyans in 1828 with sittings for around 130. It was one of the earliest in Norfolk to be so badly affected by upheaval as a result of the Wesleyan Reform movement.
In 1851, the minister noted that ‘violent and disgraceful proceedings nearly destroyed the congregation’. The previous year, court action had been taken against Reformers who then hired a room at the King’s Head public house for their meetings – some members thought this not to be a good look, a sentiment no doubt shared by the landlord.
The minister further commented: ‘Legal redress having recently been obtained, it is believed that some will return to the chapel’. They did, but as Free Methodists – the trustees, retaining full possession of the chapel, had favoured the Reformers and ejected the Wesleyans.
Around 1856, members joined the Norwich Circuit of the United Methodist Free Churches (United Methodist Church from 1907).
Although remaining open following Methodist Union in 1932, the chapel was no longer listed at the time of the 1940 Returns – the nearby ex-Primitive served for many more years.
The building is now a private dwelling.
Sources
Norfolk Chronicle 28th December 1850
Census of Religious Worship 1851 (Norfolk): Ed by J Ede & N Virgoe 1998
Free Methodist Manual 1899
Methodist Church Buildings: Statistical Returns 1940
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