Bedfordshire Towns and Villages A

Aley Green

Wesleyan Methodist Church. Submitted by Elizabeth Herts

Wesleyan Chapel. Submitted by Anne in Carlisle

Baptist Church, Ampthill. Submitted by cbcarolyn

Quaker Meeting House, Ampthill. Submitted by cbcarolyn

St Andrews, Ampthill. Submitted by cbcarolyn

Strict Baptist Church, Ampthill. Submitted by cbcarolyn

St Andrew, Church Street, its present form dates from 14th & 15thc, with a few 20th century extensions. A church was there previously. There is a memorial to Richard Nicholls. A few decades ago, many of the graves were documented in a book, many have sunk into the land as the soil is quite sandy.

Methodists, Woburn Street, built a chapel in 1813 at the rear of number 29, there are few surviving photos of it but looks to be impressive and dignified, with round headed sashed windows set in a brick facade. There is still a tiny graveyard in a private house, dating from 1821 to 1870s.

Methodists/Wesleyan, Dunstable Street, they outgrew their 1813 chapel, so bought 3 plots of land for £645, and built a chapel, a schoolroom and a 2 houses to serve as a manse. The imposing chapel was dubbed the Wesleyan cathedral, designed by Charles Bell of London and opened 13 Aug 1884.

Primitive Methodists, Saunders Piece, opened a chapel in summer 1871, it was converted to a cinema “Electric Kinema” in 1920, was a library in 1949 and is now a private home.

The Union Church (Baptist Church), Dunstable Street, the site was purchased from Lord Holland, built by William Battison, a member of the congregation. Originally not directly on the road, in 1870 a vestibule with gallery above brought it forward. More extensions in 1893 a new schoolroom and a vestry. The congregation started meeting in 1797 in a cottage on the site of 83 Dunstable Street."
Society of Friends (Quakers), began meeting in 1726 on Dunstable Street it was originally a barn owned by Christopher Bennell. The original barn was dismantled and reused to build a new meeting house in 1753 (cost £136), it was doubled in size in 1768. There is also a cottage and smaller meeting room added in 19th Century. The congregation was strong and included Morris (brewers) Mays & Allens (Chemists). Meetings ceased in early 20th century. St Andrews bought it in 1929, and used until 1978 as a church hall. There is a small grave yard with about 30 gravestones dating from 1829 to 1912 not accessible from the hall.

The Strict Baptist Chapel, is at the of Oliver Street is the designed by Alfred Wildman, opened 11 Oct 1904

Roman Catholic Church, in Flitwick Road Near Redborne School was built in 1934/5, extended in the 1960s and closed in 1986. Now a funeral directors.

(extracts from Around Ampthill - Andrew Underwood no longer available)