Oulton Chapel Open Day
Oulton Chapel, Hall Road, near Aylsham, Norfolk, NR11 6NU
Hidden away in the quiet lanes of the north Norfolk countryside, Oulton Chapel remains relatively unknown. This Grade II* listed chapel, owned by Historic Norfolk, is located in a peaceful and tranquil setting off Hall Road, signposted from the B1354 Blickling Road.
The chapel opened as a non-conformist place of worship in April 1731. It is virtually unchanged from how it would have originally looked. The building is built of red brick with a double-shaped gable at each end in the Flemish style fashionable in the late 17th century. Inside the ground floor seating and pulpit belong to a nineteenth-century re-furnishing, but the original box pews survive in the upper gallery.
Oulton Chapel fell into disuse in the 1960s and its condition deteriorated. Limited emergency repairs were carried out in 1984 and in 1990 Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust (now trading as Historic Norfolk) purchased the Chapel and surrounding land. Repairs to the Chapel were completed in 1991, with grants from English Heritage and Broadland District Council, and included the conversion of the rear vestry into a small meeting room with a kitchen and toilets.
Also on the Oulton Chapel site is a coach house, which originally housed the Minister’s pony and trap, and the Manse (completed in 1784), which is privately occupied.
Today the Chapel is available to hire for meetings and other events and part of the site is now a natural burial ground.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 13 September:
- 1100-1500
- Sunday 14 September:
- 1100-1500
- Saturday 20 September:
- 1100-1500
- Sunday 21 September:
- 1100-1500
Location & directions
Oulton Chapel, Hall Road, near Aylsham, Norfolk, NR11 6NU
- Directions:
- Oulton Chapel is off the B1354 between Blickling and Saxthorpe. What 3 words foam.flake.hence
- Contact on day:
- Historic Norfolk
- Telephone number:
- +441603629048
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The site has a sloping gravel path and isn't ideally suited for wheelchairs, but is navigable. Entrance to the chapel is via a side entrance as the main doors have steps. The upper floor can only be accessed via the stairs. Parking is on a sloping grassed area alongside the path.
