The Zion Chapel Collection

Zion Independent Congregational Chapel was built in 1816 on the steep hillside of Upper Settle and for the next two centuries played an important part in the life of the town and surrounding area. Sadly, due to falling congregations, it closed in 2015, just a year short of its bicentenary. The Chapel trustees, unable to find a buyer for the chapel, hall and adjoining manse and cottage, generously gifted them to the North Craven Building Preservation Trust (NCBPT) in 2018, to ensure the future of this fine Grade II listed building and its site.

The Chapel trustees also donated their entire archive to the Museum of North Craven Life. From their earliest days, they faithfully kept everything pertaining to the work of the Chapel. The collection contains minute books, registers, accounts, bills, magazines, photographs and many portable objects stretching back over 200 years. In addition, the papers of the Revd. George Moffat, Zion’s longest-serving minister, were donated to the Museum by his granddaughter.