Belstone Methodist Chapel

This small Methodist chapel sits quietly on the edge of Belstone village, a few miles south of Exeter - the sort of place you'd walk past without noticing unless someone pointed it out. Built in 1840, it's a proper Victorian-era building with all the modest dignity you'd expect from a working-class congregation of that era. The interior is simple and sincere: wooden pews, a small pulpit, original fixtures that haven't been fussed over or modernised to death.

Methodist chapels fascinate anyone interested in religious history or the social fabric of rural Devon. This one tells you something real about how ordinary people worshipped two centuries ago - no grand architecture or ostentation, just a straightforward meeting place. It's still in use, which is rarer than you'd think for chapels of this age.

You won't spend hours here. Twenty minutes inside, maybe another ten if you're reading the memorial plaques and taking photos. The appeal is in the quietness and the sense of stepping into another time. It works well as a short detour if you're staying at Woodland Springs Touring Park nearby, or if you're exploring the quieter villages around Exeter.

Access and opening times aren't clearly advertised online, so your best bet is checking the door or asking locally - many village chapels keep irregular hours or require a key from a nearby resident. Worth a look if you're in the area, though don't plan a trip around it alone.