Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel
| Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel (Known as 'The Chapel'). | |
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| Billingshurst Unitarian and Free Christian Church | |
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The chapel from the east
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 Location of the chapel within West Sussex
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| 51°01′18″N 0°27′11″W / 51.0218°N 0.4530°WCoordinates: 51°01′18″N 0°27′11″W / 51.0218°N 0.4530°W | |
| Location | High Street, Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 9QS |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (British Unitarians) |
| Previous denomination | General Baptist |
| Website | www.ukunitarians.org.uk/billingshurst/ |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Billingshurst General Baptist Chapel |
| Founded | 1754 |
| Founder(s) | William Evershed and William Turner |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Chapel |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 22 September 1959 |
| Architect(s) | Unknown |
| Style | Georgian Vernacular |
| Groundbreaking | 1754 |
Billingshurst Unitarian Chapel is a place of worship in Billingshurst in the English county of West Sussex. The cottage-like building was erected in 1754 for General Baptists, hence its original name of the Billingshurst General Baptist Chapel, but the congregation moved towards Unitarian beliefs in the 19th century, and still maintain these. It is a member of General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella body for British Unitarians.
The chapel, also known as the Billingshurst Unitarian and Free Christian Church, is one of the oldest Nonconformist places of worship in the district of Horsham—an area in which such Christian beliefs have a long and successful history; furthermore, there are few older chapels of this type anywhere in southeast England. English Heritage has listed the chapel at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
In England, people and ministers who worshipped outside the Church of England but were not part of the Roman Catholic Church were historically known as Dissenters or (Protestant) Nonconformists. Nonconformism became officially recognised after the Act of Uniformity 1662, which removed from their living those Church of England ministers who refused to recognise or abide by the Act's requirements. Many alternative denominations developed, all focused on a person's personal relationship with God rather than on the rites and ceremonies of religious worship as in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. This trend was seen throughout Sussex, and by the late 17th century "the all-embracing medieval Church" existed alongside dozens of newly established groups and denominations.
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