It continues to be a meeting place for the community, somewhere to share memories and commemorate events. There are still people living locally who worshipped at the Chapel until its formal closure in the 1970s. The Chapel has a record of all the baptisms between 1706 and 1890, which are of great interest for researchers of family history. The Chapel and its communities are a rich source of information for religious, architectural, and social historians. You can find out more about the history here.
The Chapel now also plays host to a diverse programme of social, creative and educational events, enabling people of all ages to come together in this atmospheric setting. In recent years there has been a lively programme of musical and literary performance, from early music to youth group choirs, from spoken word to operatic arias, which has involved local and internationally-acclaimed artists. Events have featured musicians Laura Cannell, Polly Wright, early music specialists Loki Music, The Waveney Valley Brass Ensemble, Lowestoft-based youth choir Group A, opera singer Rob Gildon, and international jazz and blues singer Melissa James.
In keeping with the importance non-conformists placed on preaching, the spoken word continues to resonate in the Chapel today, from poetry to author-readings of contemporary classics. Recent performers include Helen Macdonald, Julia Blackburn and Lucy Hughes-Hallett, alongside successful annual collaborations with local organisations such as the Suffolk Poetry Society.
A new programme of workshops and artist residencies are enabling site-specific works to be created in response to this evocative setting. In 2018, London-based ensemble Chroma produced Awakening in collaboration with Snape Maltings, after a week-long residency at the Chapel.
