St Mary the Virgin
Isle Abbotts, Somerset
Like so many Somerset churches, Isle Abbots has a splendid tower, and this one is especially graceful, built of Ham stone between 1510 and 1520, with three distinct stages.
North Curry & Curland Methodist Church is a historic Grade II listed chapel situated on Windmill Hill in North Curry, Somerset. Built in 1833 as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, it reflects the growth of Methodism in the area following the visits of John Wesley during the late 18th century. Methodist worship in North Curry began even earlier, with local houses being licensed for worship from 1791 and a Sunday school established in 1819.
Constructed in red brick beneath a slate roof, the chapel is a modest yet distinctive example of 19th-century Methodist architecture. Around 1900, the building was extended with a schoolroom on its front elevation to accommodate an expanding congregation. This addition was erected in memory of local resident Ann Mitchell Morris and remains an important part of the building's history.
The church has long served the communities of North Curry and nearby Curland. While a separate Wesleyan chapel was established in Curland in the early 1820s and has since been converted into a private residence, the North Curry chapel continues its original purpose as an active place of Christian worship. Today, it forms part of the Taunton Deane and South Sedgemoor Circuit within the Plymouth and Exeter District, maintaining a continuous Methodist presence in the village for nearly two centuries.
We are a small friendly congregation who have embarked on a recent refurbishment programme of the chapel and grounds. This will enable our premises to become a local community space breathing new life into the chapel through a range of community events, the provision of an outside reflective space with seating and refurbished facilities to allow hospitality to be provided.