Colchester Baptist Church

The first record of Baptists meeting in Colchester is in 1639 when the preacher Thomas Lamb was imprisoned for holding a religious service in a private house. In 1689 Baptists were granted freedom of worship by the Protestant rulers William and Mary following the overthrow of the Catholic king James II in the Glorious Revolution.

By the early 1700s Colchester Baptists were meeting in various buildings in the centre of Colchester under the care of their pastor John Rootsey. Their numbers were growing steadily and in January 1711 they acquired an existing building on this site to use as a meeting house. The front of the building faced to the east, rather than the south as today, but apart from this we know nothing of what the building looked like. After more than a century, this building was replaced by the present chapel in 1834. It was designed by John Penrice, a Colchester architect who also worked at Walton-on-the-Naze, designing the Marine Hotel (1829) and the town's first pier (1830). The church was restored in 1883 by another Colchester architect F. E. Morris. A vestry, library and a Sunday school room designed by J. F. Goodey (1834-1910) were added on the west side of the church in 1889. The building underwent extensive restoration in 1977-8 and was extended in 1991. The interior of the church has many original features, including galleries on cast iron columns and interesting memorials. The chapel is associated with the famous preacher Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Timings

Friday 11 September:

1300-1600

Location & directions

Colchester Baptist Church, Eld Lane, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1LS

Directions:

The 'What Three Words' location is ///motion.wonderfully.ideas

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Additional information

Colchester Baptist Church is open for Heritage Open Days on the same day as the nearby St Botolph's Church and the Mercury Theatre.

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