| Lewin's Mead Unitarian meeting house | |
|---|---|
 Former Unitarian church in Lewin's Mead | |
  Location within Bristol | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Lewin's Mead, Bristol, England |
| Coordinates | 51°27′26″N 2°35′33″W / 51.45735°N 2.59243°W |
| Year(s) built | 1788–91 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | William Blackburn |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Unitarian Chapel |
| Designated | 8 January 1959 |
| Reference no. | 1202353 |
Lewin's Mead Unitarian meeting house is a former Unitarian church in Bristol, England.
The building
[edit]The meeting house was constructed in 1788–1791 in Lewin's Mead on the site of a 1705 chapel; before that, the site had been a Franciscan monastery. The chapel was designed in the Neoclassical style by William Blackburn.[1] It was built to hold 400 people,[note 1] with stables and a coach house. A lecture room was added in 1818, and schoolrooms in 1826.[3]
A Grade II* listed building since 1959, the meeting house closed in 1986[4] and was converted to offices the following year by Feilden Clegg architects, and housed the offices of a construction consultancy, Provelio.[5]
In January 2017 it was purchased by Emmanuel Bristol, a family of Church of England churches, for its city centre congregation.
The congregation and ministers
[edit]
In the 18th century, the congregation was wealthy.[2]
One notable minister, from 1817 to 1839, was Lant Carpenter, the father of social reformer Mary Carpenter.
Unitarians continue to meet in Bristol at their other places of worship, Frenchay Chapel and Brunswick Square.[6][better source needed]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "List Bristol Unitarian Churches". Bristol Information. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ a b Bredley, James (2002). Religion, revolution, and English radicalism : nonconformity in eighteenth-century politics and society (1st pbk. ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 205. ISBN 9780521890823.
- ^ "Unitarian Chapel, Lewin's Mead". Historic England. English Heritage. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ "Lewins Mead Unitarian Meeting, 1718–1985". Bristol Archives. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting-houses, Gloucestershire. London: HMSO Books. 1986. ISBN 0-11-300008-1.
- ^ Bristol Unitarians website
 | This article about a Bristol building or structure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a church or other Christian place of worship in England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |