Maidstone Unitarian Church

This Grade II Listed Building dates from 1736 and was originally a meeting house for dissenting Presbyterians who had split from the established church in 1662. The Rev. William Hazlitt, the essayist's father and a remarkable thinker and campaigner in his own right, was minister between 1770 and 1780. Graham Hague, in “The Unitarian Heritage: An Architectural Survey”, summarises the structure as “brick; square, with pyramidal slate roof and corner pilasters”. The interior, which he describes as “Gothicised but retaining original layout”—including a three-sided gallery and imposing tall pulpit—was decorated in the 1990s in colours appropriate to the period. The beams and joints of the main worship space ceiling are exposed to view. The building was enlarged in the 19th century and again in 1921 when a pair of handsome stained glass windows depicting “Courage” and “Victory” were installed as a memorial to members of the congregation who fell in the Great War. Brief biographies of
these men are displayed in the church.

Timings

Friday 18 September:

1000-1600

Location & directions

Market Buildings, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1HP

Directions:

We are opposite the colonnade, between Regain Hearing and Royal Star Arcade

Contact on day:

Kathryn Maynard

Telephone number:

+447747680680

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking not required

Accessibility details

No need to pre-book, but if wheelchair access is required please call ahead so we can organise ramp access. Toilets are not wheelchair accessible owing to the layout of the building.

Additional information

Estimated duration:

1 hour(s) 0 minute(s)

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