Broadmead Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Broadmead Baptist Church |
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 Broadmead Baptist Church
Location in Bristol
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| 51°27′27″N 2°35′29″W / 51.45738°N 2.59140°W | |
| Location | Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | broadmeadbaptist.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Ronald Hubert Sims |
| Completed | 1969 |
Broadmead Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in the Broadmead area of Bristol, England. It's a place where people of the Baptist faith gather for worship and community activities.
Contents
History of Broadmead Baptist Church
Broadmead Baptist Church has a long and interesting history, starting way back in the 1600s. It was a very important church for people who wanted to worship differently from the main Church of England.
Early Beginnings in Bristol
The church was founded in 1640 by Dorothy Hazard and four other people. They were known as "dissenters" because they chose to worship outside the official Church of England. This was a brave choice at the time.
In its early years, the church faced many challenges. Its members often had to meet in secret or in different places around Bristol. They were sometimes treated unfairly for their beliefs.
Finding a Permanent Home
By 1671, the church members found a more stable place. They got four rooms at the end of Broadmead. These rooms were quickly changed into one large chapel where they could meet openly.
Interestingly, records from the Bristol Quakers suggest these rooms might have been their meeting place before 1670. If so, it's possible that George Fox and Margaret Fell, who were key founders of the Quaker religion, were married there in 1669.
This chapel was used for a very long time, right up until the 1960s.
A New Building for a New Era
In the 1960s, the Broadmead area of Bristol was redeveloped. This meant many old buildings were torn down or changed. The church decided to sell the land where their old chapel stood.
They then built a brand new church building right above where shops were planned. This new church was designed by an architect named Ronald Hubert Sims. It officially opened its doors in 1969.
The design of the new church is quite unique. It uses a style called "brutalism," which means it has a strong, simple look with lots of raw concrete. It also features warm timber panels inside. When it first opened, it had a tall spire made of laminated timber, but this had to be removed later because it was not safe.
