Church History
Early Baptist Roots in the Area
The origins of Baptist life here stretch back to the mid-1600s. Leys Hill Chapel, near Walford in Herefordshire, was founded around 1655–1670 during the early period of Baptist dissent. The first recorded Forest of Dean baptism was in 1722 at Cannop Brook.Early Baptist roots stretch back to a mission from Ryeford Church in Weston-under-Penyard with a house being licensed for worship in English Bicknor in 1823. Later Leys Hill became known as the “Mother Church” for several smaller congregations in the area, including Lydbrook. By the 1800s, the Forest of Dean’s growing industrial and mining communities created the need for new chapels closer to where people lived and worked.
The Edward Goff Charity and Early Baptist Work in Lydbrook
The Baptist cause at Lower Lydbrook did not grow from the Coleford mission, but from work carried out in Herefordshire. A major influence was Edward Goff, who died in 1813, leaving £11,000 to establish schools for the education of poor children in Herefordshire and surrounding areas.
Under this charity, schoolmasters were employed during the week to teach children and then preached on Sundays. Around 1820, a Mr Wright established a schoolroom in Lydbrook that also served as a Baptist meeting place. It was officially licensed for worship on 7th November 1823. Lydbrook Baptist church probably began with a mission from Ryeford church in weston-under-penyard Herefordshire. (Lower Lydbrook was part of the Hereford district at the time).
This dual-purpose building became the heart of early Baptist life in Lydbrook. By 1823, there were two chapel schoolrooms – one in Lower Lydbrook and another mission chapel in Upper Lydbrook.
By the mid-1820s, Baptists were also facing stiff competition for local worshippers from at least four other denominations — Anglican, Wesleyan Methodist, Primitive Methodist, and Independent (Congregationalist). Without the school and schoolmaster, the original Baptist cause in Lydbrook gradually faded away.
However, by the late 1830s, the original work began to decline. When the Goff endowment was transferred to Leys Hill Baptist Church in Herefordshire, Lydbrook lost both its funding and its resident schoolmaster, who had been the full-time worker supporting the Baptist cause. The charity’s main concern was education, and this was now being met by a newly established Anglican mission chapel.
The Rebirth of the Lydbrook Baptist Cause
The story did not end there. In 1857, twelve members separated from Leys Hill Baptist Church and re-formed the Lydbrook Baptist Church, meeting in what became the Old Baptist Chapel and later old Reading Rooms in Lower Lydbrook (which closed in 1928/29). The congregation grew rapidly, and by 1863, the church was thriving enough to appoint its first minister.
Services in the Old Baptist Chapel were soon filled to capacity, prompting the decision to build a new chapel. Land was purchased in Lower Lydbrook, on which is now the site of the current Baptist Church.
The Old Baptist Chapel was sold, refitted as a reading room, and opened in 1868 — an early version of a public library and social meeting place. This stood on the site now known as Reading Room Cottage, Mill Row (GL17 9NR).
The Building of the Present Chapel
The new Lydbrook Baptist Church opened between *10th and 14th November 1864, at a total cost of £700 (approximately £64,000 in today’s money [2025]). By this time, Lydbrook’s Baptist fellowship had firmly re-established itself as a vibrant and independent congregation. It is built of Forest and Monmouthshire stone.
Major developments followed:
- Spring 1872 – a foundation stone was laid for an enlarged chapel/school room
- Work was delayed, however, when many local navvies (labourers) left to work on the Lydbrook Branch railway line.
- The railway line was completed in August 1874, and building resumed.
- The enlarged chapel/school room was completed in September 1875.
- A balcony was added in 1874 to the church
- An organ was installed in 1908
Church Life and Community Events
Newspaper reports from 1864 recorded the chapel’s opening, and twenty-five years later, in 1889, a special anniversary celebration was held. The newspaper report read as follows:
On Sunday and Monday, 10th–11th November 1889, commemorative services were led by the Rev. E. Jope of Cinderford. Hymns and anthems were sung by the choir, and offerings were collected for the Organ Fund.
On Monday evening, following a Public Tea at 5:30 p.m., the congregation enjoyed an evening of “Hymns and Tunes of Long Ago”, performed by the choir and accompanied by Mrs E. London’s Band of Ross-on-Wye. The event began at 7:30 p.m., with tickets priced at 9d for tea and entertainment, or 3d for the entertainment only.
Independent Mission Chapel
This was completed in 1887 in Forge Hill and became the seventh place of worship in Lydbrook. Arthur William Latham, minister at Lydbrook Baptist Church between 1883-1900, was instrumental in the foundation of the trustees that were involved in the Independent Mission Chapel. Minister Latham is buried in Lydbrook graveyard. The chapel in Forge Hill is now a house and the last trustee for the chapel died in 1980.
In Summary
From the first schoolroom licensed for Baptist worship in 1823, through its decline and rebirth in 1857, to the building of the present chapel in 1864, Lydbrook Baptist Church has a long and resilient history.
Its story reflects not only the perseverance of local believers but also the wider spiritual, educational, and social changes of Victorian England. Lydbrook Baptist Church continues to stand as a testament to the enduring faith and community spirit of the people of the Forest of Dean.
The building has changed little over the years, except for the replacement of the pews with modern chairs and carpet.
At the rear of church is the burial ground, now closed. We have some records of the graves there, and there is open access for anyone who wishes to visit a family grave (please exercise due care and attention as some memorial stones may be unstable).
* Historical records give conflicting dates for the opening of the current Baptist Church. However, one may presume that it opened in time for a service on November 13th as this was a Sunday in 1864.
