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The Great Britain Guide

Historic churches · South West England

John Wesley's New Room

GeorgianFree admission

John Wesley's New Room — Grade I listed church in Bristol, England, UK.

John Wesley's New Room, historic churches in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
Nearest railway station
Montpelier · 1.2 km
  • Free entry

About

John Wesley's New Room is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1739. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed church in Bristol, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.4580°, -2.5902°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

John Wesley's New Room is a historic building located between The Horsefair and Broadmead, Bristol, England. Opened in June 1739, it housed the earliest Methodist societies, and was enlarged in 1748. As the oldest purpose-built Methodist preaching house (chapel), it has been designated by Historic England as a Grade I listed building. A Methodist museum is housed in the preachers' rooms above the chapel.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Severn Estuary SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

John Wesley's New Room is a historic building located between The Horsefair and Broadmead, Bristol, England. Opened in June 1739, it housed the earliest Methodist societies, and was enlarged in 1748. As the oldest purpose-built Methodist preaching house (chapel), it has been designated by Historic England as a Grade I listed building. A Methodist museum is housed in the preachers' rooms above the chapel. The courtyards around the building contain statues of John Wesley and his brother Charles.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

On 2 April 1739 John Wesley began preaching in the open fields at Bristol, and founded societies there. Under Wesley's direction, the building followed two months later, making it the oldest purpose-built Methodist chapel in the world. He called it "our New Room in the Horsefair". The chapel was built with a double-decker pulpit, which was common at the time, and is lighted by an octagonal lantern window to reduce the amount paid in window tax. In addition to meetings and worship, the New Room was used as a dispensary and schoolroom for the poor people of the area. The pews and benches were made from old ship timber. The Baldwin and Nicholas Street Methodist societies combined to form the…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.4580, -2.5902
Parish
Bristol, City of, unparished area
Postcode
BS1 3JD
Parliamentary constituency
Bristol Central
Established
1739
Nearest railway station
Montpelier1.2 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is John Wesley's New Room?
John Wesley's New Room is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode BS1 3JD), in the parish of Bristol, City of, unparished area.
When was John Wesley's New Room built?
Built or established in 1739.
Is John Wesley's New Room a listed building?
John Wesley's New Room is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
Is John Wesley's New Room a protected site?
Yes — John Wesley's New Room is part of the Severn Estuary SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is John Wesley's New Room free to visit?
Yes, John Wesley's New Room is free to enter.
How do I get to John Wesley's New Room?
The nearest railway station is Montpelier, about 1.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode BS1 3JD.