Small meetings, lasting influence
Around 1840–1841, travelling evangelist Robert Gribble came to Coleford, where shoemaker William Arscott was among those interested in his message. Early gatherings were held in a cottage near the place later called Gribbles. It should not automatically be treated as the later chapel building.
A cottage classroom
That former meeting place was later used for the Coleford Dame School. Mary Ann Sutton appears as a schoolmistress in the 1851 census, while an 1863 lease survives among the estate records. A small village cottage could therefore serve several important purposes.
The Gospel Hall and the village
The 1861 census describes a chapel at the later location. Its exact early building sequence remains uncertain. Later figures included railway worker John Dunn, blacksmith William Heywood and members of the Harris family.
The chapel's history also lives in memory: baptisms in the stream, Sunday School meetings, Christmas treats and seaside outings. The fuller account records how the 1919 estate sale led to the building being conveyed to trustees in 1920.
The Gospel Hall, latterly called Coleford Chapel, closed in June 2015. Nearly two centuries of worship, schooling and community life make this one of Coleford's richest local histories.
Sources and historical notes
This introduction draws on original Colebrooke parish research and the records identified below. Where a detail depends on local recollection or later reconstruction, the text says so. These references allow readers to examine the evidence behind this introduction. Fuller accounts are available in the parish histories.