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The division between 'Church' and 'Chapel' was always real though there was generally good will between the two groups. Few people at that time would have admitted to having no allegiance to either body, even if that allegiance was only nominal.
In general, children such as I were conditioned by the beliefs of our parents. We measured our differences by such facts as those which showed Church people going to the theatre, pantomimes and dances. They drank in moderation and enjoyed evening card parties. In general they were more extrovert in their outlook on the social scene. Chapel people found more outlet for their leisure in chapel activities and meetings. I am not competent to describe what went on at Hillesley Church when I was a ten year old, but the Chapel life I remember very well. We had a very vigorous Sunday School, a Bible Class for the older ones and a Band of Hope which was largely attended.
There was also a prayer meeting which our elders attended regularly. Besides all these activities there was a great coming and going between the various non-conformist churches in the district In those prosperous days of the Free Churches there was a minister at almost every Chapel. Four in Wotton, one at Kingswood and one at Hawkesbury and they all, at various times, visited each other's chapels. When Harvest Festival came our Chapel, including the galleries which are now disused, would be quite full, and on the Monday afternoon the tea meeting was an occasion when stalwarts of other chapels came from miles around. All travelling was by cycle or horse and trap. We had some stables behind our shop and it was always my job to turn our ponies out so that we could accommodate the horses of our visitors.
To my young eyes the Monday evening service was a magical event. The crowded chapel, the novelty of seeing not only our own people but the many strangers. I think we enjoyed a rather prideful satisfaction at seeing many Church people within our non-conformist walls.
The speaker was nearly always some prominent minister from Bristol. Woe betide him if he introduced too much poetic allegory into his sermon. Our farming, gardening community wanted to hear about the gathering in of another winter's food and not much else on that night.
There was no harvest sale then and I think that the floral display was more humble than it is today. While there was a high standard of potato and vegetable growing, flower gardening came a very second best. Lilies, holly-hocks, wallflowers and phlox were usual but Blackmore and Langdon's delphiniums and the modern highly bred chrysanthemums had vet to come to our village gardens. There were lots of fine vegetables, probably as good as they are today, and they all went by the carrier's cart to Muller's Orphanage at Ashley Down in Bristol.
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