Churches of the British Isles

Overland Old Chapel was probably located with the grounds of Overland Farm, at the northern end of Overland Lane, and on its eastern side, to the north-west of Ash. Multiple references exist for an 'ancient chapel' at Overland which was a chapel-of-ease to the church at Ash (see 'related links'). The manor of Overland was in 1216-1272 held by the eminent family of Criol. In 1282 it was given to the collegiate church of Wingham (see links). A later reference is to a ruin.

Shatterling Chapel today is known as 'The Old Chapel', a private residence which is entirely hidden from public view behind the hedge and trees in this photo. It sits on the southern side of the dangerously-busy Roman Road A257, around a hundred and twenty metres to the east of the junction with Beaute Lane. Clearly a chapel first and then downgraded to a Sunday school (by 1896), it was subsequently closed. The building is not shown on pre-1880 maps.

Wingham Quaker Meetings & Burial Ground are lost, although the burial ground is known to have been located on Preston Hill (to the right of this shot of its junction). Quakerism arrived in Kent in 1655, with a meeting here by the mid-1650s, one of the six meetings in East Kent. It was noted in 1691 that members often failed to appear at the meeting. In the same year it was agreed that meetings would rotate between Canterbury, Deal, Dover, and Sandwich only.

Wingham Baptist Chapel sits on the south-eastern side of the High Street where it meets Gobery Hill (A257). Marked on pre-1880 maps, the chapel was where this house now sits, perhaps as the same building. A Baptist minister is known to have been in Wingham in 1773, possibly with some crossover here with the Unitarians (see below). Never seemingly that successful though, despite Baptists dominating nonconformism in East Kent, the chapel closed before 1812.

Wingham Unitarian Chapel seemingly occupied the same building as the Baptist church (see above). The father and grandfather of G E Toomer JP hired this chapel in 1812 for the use of Congregationalists. Baptist history notes the chapel here in 1817. It was enlarged, and then replaced further to the south (see links) in 1835. The fabric of the chapel still existed in the early 1900s, and apparently contained the grave of the minister who officiated there in the 1700s.

Five photos on this page by P L Kessler, and one copyright © Nick Smith via Geograph, reused under a cc licence.