We are now open to visitors
every Monday and Thursday morning
from 10:00am – 12:00pm – click for details

September meetings 2023 – find out more about the Tolpuddle Old Chapel:

If residents of Tolpuddle would like to find out more about Tolpuddle Old Chapel, and the work of the Trust, as well as contributing their own ideas, we are opening the Chapel on a ‘drop-in’ basis for residents specifically for this purpose at the following dates and times:

Thursday 28^th September   10am – 12 noon

Saturday 30^th September  10am – 12 noon

All visitors will be most welcome.  If you are not able to come at these times, we will be opening the Chapel for visitors when we can staff the building: details to be announced.

Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust has a dual mission: to conserve this extraordinary historic building, and to provide a local social amenity.  We have a number of ideas about this latter ambition, many of which derive from earlier consultations with the village, but we would like to hear your views and ideas too.

A new challenge! – find out more!

Saving the Martyrs’ Legacy

Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust (TOCT) is ‘Working for the preservation, maintenance and renovation of the grade II* listed former Methodist Chapel and its site in Tolpuddle, Dorset and its historical, architectural and constructional heritage, for the benefit of the people of Tolpuddle and of the Nation.’

The Trust aims to renovate and repair the former chapel, as well as creating interpretation and community engagement activities to tell the history of this unique building and its connection to the Dorsetshire Labourers, who later became known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs.

The project will become a ‘quiet place in the heart of this historic Dorset village’, for visitors, and to provide the location for activities, exhibitions and community use’.

The Trust has already received significant grant funding and hopes to secure the further funding to start the renovation of the building by the end of 2021.The Trust sees the former chapel as

‘A building that reflects the lives and hardships of the people who built it and their desire for change. A history that speaks of education, social justice, tolerance and individual liberty, retaining its meaning for the present day.’

BBC Radio Solent broadcast

On 22nd January 2017, Tim Daykin of Radio Solent broadcast a feature on the former chapel which contained snippets of interviews with Andrew McCarthy and Martin Cooke.

Click below to listen.

Virtual tour of the building

Watch the virtual tour of the building with commentary by Andrew McCarthy.