Have you noticed the old stone building on the corner of Nelson Road and Nelson Drive in Westward Ho!? The folk at Bideford and District Archive provide a bit of background.

In 1887 the Appledore Baptist Church started a mission at Westward Ho! in a cottage given free of rent by a late Mr James Taylor. Following initial success, they decided to build their own chapel at the site on Nelson Rd. A committee was formed by Appledore and Bideford Baptists, spurred on by a notice from Mr George Taylor that he required the cottage back. 

The committee signed a contract with Mr Tamlyn, of Appledore, to erect a chapel 48ft 6in by 22ft 6in and capable of seating 140 persons, on the site near Westward Ho! Post Office, at a cost of about £250, exclusive of furniture. Work started at once, with George Taylor generously giving stone and gravel to the cause. 

The committee looked to their friends for subscriptions and the resulting financial statement was announced by the treasurer, Captain Harris, at the memorial stone-laying ceremony. Seven stones were laid, supplied and engraved free of charge by Mr C T Morris, who ran a stone mason and statuary business on Meddon Street, Bideford. The ceremony ended with a hymn and a prayer, and the company dispersed until half-past four, when they assembled 400 strong in Kingsley College Gymnasium for tea. At 7 o’clock a meeting and entertainment were held in the same hall. 

On 6 August 1895, it was announced that the chapel was finished and dedicated, and ready to play its part in ‘the battle for the moral and religious regeneration of England’. The dedication service was held and despite numerous conflicting engagements, there was a large and – what was deemed especially pleasing – a thoroughly representative gathering of non-conformists. Congregationalists, Wesleyans, and Bible Christians crowded into the building to celebrate the completion of the mission with the Baptists. The building was described in the Bideford Gazette as ‘a neat building, well finished and furnished, the chairs, with specially fitted backs, being a praiseworthy departure from convention in these matters.’

At the first service the congregation numbered over 100, and the collections were good. 

In 2011, the Victorian building was replaced by a new, larger Church Centre which is still a lively contributor to the religious and community life of the village.