Upper Stratton Baptist Church

The present chapel was built in 1862, not only as a church but to serve as a day school. To be accurate, the full name of the church is “The Tucker Memorial Baptist Church” named after Henry Tucker who saw the need for a Christian witness in the area. In 1868, the church joined the Wilts. and East Somerset Baptist Association and thus formally declared its affiliation with the Baptist Denomination.

A period of revival swept through the church in 1892 and the church membership jumped from 22 to 57 with 33 baptisms. The whole character of the church changed and became more outward looking with the formation of a Mission Band the Tract Distribution Society. Sunday afternoon open-air services were held and they culminated in a parade to the evening service.

Sunday started early at 7:15 a.m with a prayer meeting, not just for the deacons, but for all church members who wished to attend.

Prior to 1891, the church saw six ministers serve the pastorate in Upper Stratton. These men were mainly supported by Mr & Mrs Tucker, but this ceased with the death of Mrs. Tucker in 1891 and consequently laymen led the church for over 60 years. The first of these was Mr. A.N. Taylor who was senior deacon until 1919.

In 1902, the church decided to buy the chapel from the estate of Mrs. Tucker at a cost of £300. Before this, the day school in Green Road was used for Sunday School and week night activities. In 1924, the church made an offer of £150 to buy these premises but this offer was refused, which led to the building of the Sunday School hall in 1929. It was described as “up to date in every respect, a very noble building.” The numbers of the church at this stage were:

Members – 80, Sunday School scholars – 130, Sunday School teachers – 18, and Band of Hope – 180.

By 1949, the church had 95 members and 141 Sunday School children.

In 1969, the first Carols by Candlelight service was held and proved so popular that it has continued to the present day. The church membership at this stage stood at 81 members.

—Stratton Remembered; Recollections from the Parish of Stratton St. Margaret – Stratton Parish Council, July 2000