09/05/2026
All welcomed in this haven of peace
By Karen Bate [email protected]
The West Dorset Magazine
Among the hubbub of East Street in Bridport, a haven of peace can be found through the gates of The Chapel in the Garden, where a community of kindness and friendship is shaped by welcome rather than doctrine.
The Unitarian chapel dates to 1794. It has original box pews, a gallery filled with thousands of books, and Victorian school rooms for community activities. Guided by the Reverend Elizabeth Harley and her husband, the Reverend John Harley, the chapel is for everyone of all denominations, or none, to gather without instruction. Everyone arriving, whether seeking faith, friendship, or simply a moment of connection, are welcomed. Elizabeth said: "As a Unitarian chapel we have our roots in dissenting Christianity and this spirit of rebellion and protest still feeds us today. We are now a group of people who come from different spiritual paths and also those who identify as atheists, humanists or agnostics. "The community and our love for it is what keeps us together and the shared vision for creating a village of support in the many forms that may take. "We believe our values of inclusiveness and care align us with caring for the environment, welcoming refugees, becoming a safe and welcoming space for our LGBTQ+ community, creating projects such as the Community Fridge, and making a warm, inviting space available for anyone - we make soup on a Wednesday market day and share a meal with people who come."
Beautiful and bespoke weddings, funerals, child blessings and naming ceremonies are conducted here, with several celebrants able to arrange a service to suit individual tastes. Elizabeth said: "If you are planning a wedding or would like to know about our baby naming ceremonies, we provide a completely unique and beautiful service, honouring who you are, and it can be as quirky or traditional as you like."
The chapel is busy each week, with Sunday services, Friday evening services, a monthly Eve and Song sharing circle and the Kindness Club for children at 11am on the first Sunday of the month to nurture creativity, spirituality and kindness. Elizabeth said: "A typical Sunday service will have singing, texts, poems and prayers from secular, spiritual and religious traditions, a chance to light a candle and share a joy or concern - it feels so important to come together these days and deepen our connections and bring our whole selves to be accepted and acknowledged. "When we consider the world, the state of unrest and violence, it feels important to make pockets of peace where we can, to find ways of settling our nervous systems enough to take back out into the world. "After our Stand for Peace gathering, which is 15 minutes of Silence in the busy midday of Saturday market, we pledge to take that peace out into our day and share it if we can.
"I love everything about the chapel, it is my home from home, and it allows me to live my faith freely and warmly. "I love creating community and welcome and being one of the ministers alongside my husband. It is an unusual and quirky career that I adore. "If you have ever wondered what we do and what we are about, - warmly and enthusiastically invite you to come and say hello -even if just to discover our incredible hidden bookshop in the chapel gallery."
Chapel in the Garden: 49 East Street, Bridport, DT6 3JX 07566 751752 thechapelinthegarden.com
