The Chapels Society seeks to foster public interest in the architectural and historical importance of all places of worship that might loosely described as Nonconformist. We take an interest in present and former non-Anglican churches, chapels, meeting-houses and other places of worship throughout the United Kingdom.
The Chapels Society is a registered charity (No.1014207).
One consequence of the current pressure to remove pews from places of worship is the realization that the subject of historic seating in churches and chapels has been little studied. An impressive new publication from the Ecclesiological Society (Pews, Benches and Chairs) has helped to rectify this for the Church of England, but its findings are not entirely applicable to other denominations. For this reason the Chapels Society has decided to host a conference focusing on aspects of seating in Nonconformist places of worship, in an attempt to understand some of the things that may be significant about the historic seats in chapels and meeting houses. The conference will take place in Birmingham on Friday 2nd March 2012 ~ further details are available in the conference flyer.
At the AGM, it was agreed to increase the subscription rates after many years without a change. The need for change stems from rising costs as well as a wish to continue to produce excellent publications and to promote the Society’s work to a wider audience. The new rates can be found on the ‘Membership‘ page. We would ask existing members to note that the Society’s bank details have changed – an updated Standing Order Form for Renewals is also available.
