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Ebenezer Chapel (now The Old Methodist Chapel),
B4234 (Main Road),
Lydbrook, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

We believe the Chapel did NOT have a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1823, but we understand it was closed in 1991.

According to Kelly's Directory this Chapel was built in 1828, rebuilt in 1852 and 1912, and had a Sunday school attached. It is labelled on OS 1881 1:2,500 as "Ebenezer Chapel (Primitive Methodist)".

The Victoria County History series: A History of the County of Gloucester, Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp.396-404 (Forest of Dean - Nonconformity), provides the further information that Primitive Methodism was probably brought to Lydbrook by a Gloucester man in 1823, their source being Gloucester Diocesan records. Subsequently, cottage meetings were established by James Roles, a preacher from the Oakengates Primitive Methodist circuit in Shropshire, who arrived in Pillowell the following year to evangelize the Forest of Dean's mining communities; and a separate circuit was established about 1826 which included Lydbrook, Pillowell, and Yorkley.

The chapel at Lydbrook has the honour of being the first of the circuit chapels to be built. The return to the Religious Census of 1851 (HO 129/577/1/5/26) confirms the building was erected in 1828, stating that it had 56 free seats and 45 "other sittings". Expected attendance to services on March 30 was 52 to morning, and 62 to evening service. The return was completed by Robert Wall, the chapel Steward, his address being "Lydbrook".

See also A Brief Account of the History of Lydbrook, on the Forest of Dean Family History Trust website, which provides the additional information that the chapel closed on Sunday 28th July 1991.

Denomination

Now or formerly Primitive Methodist.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Chapel was located at OS grid reference SO6028915649. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Ebenezer Chapel (now The Old Methodist Chapel), Lydbrook shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Lydbrook shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Lydbrook, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• The Victoria County History series: A History of the County of Gloucester, Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (null) (verified 2018-11-06)
• The definitive site to visit if you have an interest in “The Forest” - the Forest of Dean Family History Trust (null) (verified 2018-11-16)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.