Founded in 1837 and originally known as The Dicker Chapel,[1] the "large and impressive"[2] Classical/Georgian-style building stands back from a main road in a rural part of East Sussex.

The name Dicker originally described a large area of land near the River Cuckmere and South Downs, several miles inland from the English Channel.

Meetings were commonly held in houses, barns or similar buildings, and groups were generally aligned to either the Independent movement or a Calvinistic interpretation of Baptist beliefs.

)[10] Several small-scale meetings of Calvinistic pastors and worshippers took place in the Dicker area from the late 18th century: in barns, houses and above an ironmonger's shop near the brickworks.

In 1812, a permanent chapel was founded by James Dunk for the Vinalls, father-and-son preachers who were well known at the time in East Sussex.

[8][11] The red-brick building was set back from the main road and was described from the start as a "Calvinistic Independent" chapel.

[15] In 1864, during the pastorate of George Drake,[16] the chapel became aligned to the Gospel Standard tradition,[11] which emerged in the late 1850s following a schism in Strict Baptist theology.

[18] The cause was prosperous and relatively wealthy compared to other Strict Baptist chapels,[19] and to cater for the large number of worshippers the building was extended in 1874 at a cost of £600.

[9][14] Worshippers came from many miles around, as was common in rural areas, and the chapel was built with stabling for 40 horses and carts for the benefit of those who rode to Lower Dicker.

[2] Set back from the main road in a large graveyard, behind a low hedgerow and with some formally placed yew trees, it has "an atmosphere of grandeur".

[18] Several people associated with Zoar Chapel and the Dicker area have been linked to other Baptist and Calvinistic congregations in Sussex, all of which are still in existence.

1723) adopted Calvinist beliefs in 1773, held services at his house in Buxted and later donated land in that parish upon which Five Ash Down Independent Chapel was built in 1784.

[26] William Cowper, the first pastor of Zoar Chapel, lived at Providence Cottage in Upper Dicker; in the 1970s documents were found there which related to the ministry of James Reed of Chiddingly, a prominent Baptist preacher of the late 18th century.