Churches of the British Isles

The early chapel was replaced on the site's northern side in 1774 by the second chapel, which opened in 1775. A daughter chapel was opened in Lympstone in 1819 (see links). The old pastor died in 1820, after which the meeting rapidly declined due to deaths in the society, and with a larger choice of chapels now at hand in the towns. The dilapidated chapel closed in 1907. Gulliford Dissenters Burial Ground survives, behind stone walls and brick entrance pillars.

The Parish Church of St Swithun sits in a large churchyard in Woodbury, to the north-west of Gulliford (above). It occupies the ground between Church Stile Lane and Broadmead to the west of the village centre. Of the present building the south transept and possibly part of the nave and chancel south wall date to the thirteenth century. The church was largely rebuilt and the three-stage tower was added between 1407-1409, with a rededication taking place in 1409.

The tower has offsets which contain a provision for statues which were never executed. The north aisle was built by the Haydon family in the early 1500s. They also had the Haydon chantry chapel in the church, but the Victorians converted this to the organ chamber. This coursed dressed sandstone church was extensively restored, especially between 1849-1852. The slate roofs were replaced and another general restoration was carried out in 1893.

Woodbury Church Rooms are located on the western side of Greenway in the centre of Woodbury, opposite the junction with Castle Lane. The building footprint is shown on late Victorian OS maps, but no label is applied to the building itself, seemingly on this or any other OS map. It started as part of a dwelling, with conversion taking place in or before the 1500s. Old photographs show it to have been part of a larger building, a hall, possibly as its service end.

Christ Church Congregational Chapel, Woodbury, is on the eastern side of Greenway, about sixty metres to the north of the Castle Lane junction. It was built in 1851, probably becoming one of many local town chapels which served to denude Gulliford Unitarian Chapel of members (see above). The chapel closed at some point, to be taken over by Woodbury Open Christian Brethren in 1969 (see links), then becoming Christ Church Independent Free Evangelical Church.

One photo on this page kindly contributed by Christ Church Independent Free Evangelical Church, one each kindly contributed by Chris Parfeniuk and Huw Thomas via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, two copyright © David Smith and Anthony Vosper via Geograph, reused under a cc licence, and one postcard from the History Files collection. Additional information from A History of the Presbyterian and General Baptist Churches in the West of England, Jerom Murch (R Hunter, London, 1835, and available to download).