`Nonconformist' has long been used as a description of Protestant Christians in England and Wales who were not part of the Church of England. Among the numerous denominations are the Baptists, Methodists, Quakers and the Salvation Army. By the mid-nineteenth century their chapels and meeting houses, the subject of this brief introduction, outnumbered the buildings of the Church of England's. While many chapels are now disused or have seen conversion, they remain characteristic and often notable buildings in settlements in all parts of the country.