The Congregational meeting dates from 1773 from a small group of Wesleyans who worshipped at Rook Lane Chapel decided to form their own congregation. While initially using the Wesleyan chapel at Rook Lane, then the Zion Chapel used by a Moravian congregation, in 1805 it started building its own chapel in Whittox Lane.
From The Story of Zion Congregational Church, Frome by W J Harvey (1918): Great prosperity followed: the congregation became too numerous for the capacity of the Chapel, and it was decided to "arise and build," so the present Chapel was built, with approaches from Whittox Lane and Chapel Barton, Catherine Hill. It was opened for Divine Service in July, 1810, the famous William Jay being one of the preachers on that occasion. . . . In 1862 burials upon our premises ceased, a dissenting Burial-ground having been provided for the town, adjoining Vallis Road.
From the Frome Times of Tue 14 Dec 1859 p4: RE-OPENING OF ZION CHAPEL.—This chapel, which has been under the process of repair for some time past, was opened on Sunday last, after undergoing extensive alterations. Such as knew Zion Chapel eight months since, would hardly recognise in the present interior, the Zion Chapel of old, so artistic are the improvements that have been effected. Additional accommodation has been gained by the construction of an extra gallery which has been erected behind the pulpit. . . .
There were further improvements to the chapel in 1887 (Somerset Standard of Sat 8 Oct 1887 p4:)
The gateway on St Catherine's Hill has carved on it ’1810/1893/ZION CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH’. The group was originally known as ‘Congregational Independents’. In 1965 Zion Chapel and Rook Lane Chapel merged. In 2015 the property – church, hall and grounds - was offered for sale with a guide price of £300K. The building was then converted into a community centre called ‘Hubnub Centre’ before being renamed to ‘RISE’ and ‘The Whittox Gallery’ providing spaces for classes, exhibitions and offices.
The two burial registers consist of
- a statutory register from 1813 with 224 entries and
- an informal register with numbered entries up to 129 with 4 unnumbered entries for 1865 and a loose sheet of paper with some further names for 1862-1865.
The statutory register does not have abodes whereas the informal one has some abodes and occupations. Where they overlap they are not wholly consistent with some entries occurring in one but not the other. The two sets of information have been combined and have 250 entries. So that references to both registers can be used, the number in the informal register uses the ’burial book number’. The burial ground, south of the building behind the chapel (used for Sunday schools) has only three memorials, none of them with legible inscriptions.
