United Reformed Church. The first chapel of the Axminster Independent Church (later the Congregational Church, now the United Reformed Church) was built in 1698. At one time with a thatched roof, long since replaced by slates, it stands beside a larger church built in 1828 and is now used as the Church Hall. Thomas Whitty, founder of the Axminster Carpet Industry, is commemorated by a plaque on the building and is buried in the little graveyard.