Colchester Baptist Church
Eld Lane, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1LS
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. The Colchester Baptist church is one of only four which were founded at this time.
There was a previous church on this site, which was built in 1711. This was replaced by the present building 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 1978. The interior of the church has many original features, including galleries on cast iron columns.
Eld Lane, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1LS