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| This fine Baptist chapel,
set prominently at a corner on the
Debenham to Eye road, was erected in
1841. The yellow brick neo-classical
frontage is a contrast with the rather
more rustic red brick of the sides, with
tall windows stretching almost to the
eaves. There is a good 1980s extension
behind. At the time of the
1851 Census of Religious Worship,
Rishangles Particular Baptist Chapel had
a capacity of about 220, and was full for
the afternoon sermon. There had been 180
in the morning, and George Harris, the
minister and a local farmer, claimed that
it was attended by the poor of all
neighbouring parishes. Charles Hill, the
pastor of the Particular Baptist Chapel
at nearby Stoke Ash, made a similar
claim, and undoubtedly this part of
Suffolk was predominantly non-conformist
in character rather than Anglican.
Rishangles had a small Wesleyan Methodist
chapel attended by 30 people that
morning, but even that was better than
the mere 22 who attended the Church of
England parish church of St Margaret.
That was 160 years ago, but
perhaps it should come as no surprise
that Rishangles Baptist church survives
and thrives, while both the Methodist
church and the Parish church are no
longer with us.
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Simon Knott, July 2011
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