About this episode

In this episode, Sarah Dowd discusses the impact of nonconformity on Britain's past and future with guests Chris Smith and Steve Pilcher.

What happens when a community has the courage to challenge, the faith to persist, and the nerve to imagine a different future? And what is lost when the buildings that held that community together begin to disappear? In part two, Sarah Dowd reunites with Chris Smith, Chair of the Historic Chapels Trust, and Steve Pilcher, longtime campaigner for England's chapels, to take the story further, from nonconformist conscience as a force for reform and public morality, to the harder questions of what comes next. They also discuss Sunday schools as engines of social mobility, the hard road of repurposing sacred space, fundraising in a pandemic, and a rare positive tale of winding a charity down. Highlights: 00:00 Why the “nonconformist conscience” changed Britain 01:44 Bethesda Chapel: the power and perils of an iconic building 04:10 Why nonconformist architecture is designed for the voice 08:10 Sunday schools, education, and the struggle for opportunity 16:54 Courage & mutual aid: what builds and sustains a chapel community 18:13 When faith fades, what happens to the buildings? 21:22 The painful art of letting go and the future uses of chapels 28:56 Meeting the modern challenge…

People in this episode

Host: Sarah Dowd

Guests: Chris Smith, Steve Pilcher

Topics covered

• nonconformity
• community
• heritage
• architecture
• social mobility
• charity

Keywords

• nonconformist conscience
• chapels
• social mobility
• sacred space
• fundraising
• community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Historic Chapels Trust

More episodes of HistoryFFS

• S2 Episode 10: Audience to Action: The Rise of Immersive Theatre · June 29, 2026 · 1h 5m
• S2 Episode 08: Non-Conformity: Changing Britain’s Past and Heritage’s Future · June 15, 2026 · 43 min

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