Ditchling Unitarian Chapel

Ditchling Unitarian Chapel
The chapel from the east
Location of the chapel within East Sussex
50°55′18″N 0°06′47″W / 50.9216°N 0.1131°W / 50.9216; -0.1131Coordinates: 50°55′18″N 0°06′47″W / 50.9216°N 0.1131°W / 50.9216; -0.1131
Location	The Old Meeting House, The Twitten, Ditchling, East Sussex BN6 8UJ
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Unitarian
Previous denomination	General Baptist
Website	www.ukunitarians.org.uk/ditchling/
History
Former name(s)	Ditchling General Baptist Chapel
Founded	17th century (congregation); 1730 (present chapel)
Founder(s)	Robert Chatfeild [sic]
Architecture
Status	Chapel
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	27 September 1979
Architect(s)	Unknown
Style	Vernacular
Groundbreaking	c. 1734
Completed	c. 1734

Ditchling Unitarian Chapel (formerly Ditchling General Baptist Chapel, and also known as The Old Meeting House) is a Unitarian chapel in Ditchling, a village in the English county of East Sussex. A congregation of General Baptists began to meet in the 17th century in the village, which was a local centre for Protestant Nonconformist worship, and by the time the present simple Vernacular-style chapel was constructed in 1740 a large proportion of the population held Baptist beliefs. Along with other General Baptist chapels in Sussex, the congregation moved towards Unitarian views in the mid-18th century; this caused a schism which resulted in a new chapel being formed at nearby Wivelsfield. The character of the Ditchling chapel was wholly Unitarian by 1800, and it has continued under various names since then. People associated with the chapel include William Hale White (the author "Mark Rutherford"),Henry Acton, Adrian Boult—who was married there—and G. K. Chesterton. The chapel is set back from Ditchling's main street and has an adjoining house (built in 1672) and graveyard, all of which contribute to the character of the conservation area which covers the centre of Ditchling village. 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.