Whitefield's Tabernacle, Kingswood

Coordinates: 51°27′47″N 2°30′25″W / 51.4631°N 2.5069°W

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whitefield's Tabernacle, Kingswood
The Whitefield's Tabernacle building
Religion
Affiliation	United Reformed Church
District	Kingswood
Location
Location	South Gloucestershire, England
Shown within Gloucestershire
Geographic coordinates	51°27′47″N 2°30′25″W / 51.4631°N 2.5069°W / 51.4631; -2.5069
Architecture
Completed	1741

West side showing roof and window damage to the Masters Church which is just west of the Whitefield Tabernacle building

Whitefield's sometimes Whitfield's Tabernacle is a former Calvinistic Methodist and Congregational (now United Reformed)^[1] church in Kingswood, a town on the eastern edge of Bristol where George Whitefield preached in the open air to coal miners. The name refers to two buildings in which the congregation met.

The congregation originally met in the New Society Room which was built in 1741 for George Whitefield and John Cennick after a separation occurred between them and John Wesley.^[1] The former Society Room building was expanded to a large size in 1802, and is a Grade I listed building.^[2] It is now roofless and derelict after an arson attack.^[3]

In 1851 a very large Gothic building, designed by Henry Masters, was constructed just west of the original tabernacle. Masters Church is Grade II listed.^[4] In 1983 this building was closed and the United Reformed Church congregation moved back into the original 18th-century building for a few years, before leaving both buildings to join together for worship with another congregation associated with the 18th-century revival, the Moravian Church, in the Moravian building on the other side of the High Street. The new unified congregation was named United Church Kingswood and continued to worship until it closed in January 2023.

In 2003 the Tabernacle featured in the first series of BBC's Restoration programme.^[5]

As of 2007, there were plans for the redevelopment of the three listed buildings on the Tabernacle site, namely the two churches and the 18th-century Chapel House. Besides various proposed memorial facilities, the plan included flats in the Chapel House and the 19th-century building.^[3] The Masters Church is now home to the Ellis Court apartments.^[6]

The Tabernacle is owned by the Whitfield Tabernacle Trust, who acquired the building in January 2019.

After years of disuse and dereliction following a fire in 2000, restoration work began on the tabernacle in 2021 with a view to turning it into a community arts centre following a £682,000 grant from Metro Mayor Dan Norris.^[7] The Tabernacle will be hoping to open its doors again in 2025.

References

[edit]

^ ^a ^b Timothy Jenkins (1999). Religion in Everyday English Life: an Ethnographic Approach. New York: Berghahn. pp. 103–105.
^ Historic England. "Whitfields Tabernacle (Grade I) (1116201)". National Heritage List for England.
^ ^a ^b "Save the Tabernacle". A Social History of Bristol in photographs & stories. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
^ Historic England. "Masters Church (Grade II) (1246335)". National Heritage List for England.
^ "Whitfield Tabernacle". BBC - History - Restoration - Series 1. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
^ "Ellis court apartments". Retrieved 11 August 2024.
^ "Whitfield Tabernacle: Restoration of Bristol chapel begins - BBC News". BBC. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Whitefield's Tabernacle.

v t e Culture in Bristol
Venues	Ashton Gate Bristol Arena (proposed) Bristol County Ground Bristol Hippodrome Bristol Old Vic Bristol Beacon Cube Microplex Exchange Memorial Stadium O2 Academy Bristol QEH Theatre Redgrave Theatre St George's, Brandon Hill The Thekla Tobacco Factory Victoria Rooms Watershed Whiteladies Picture House Wickham Theatre Winston Theatre
Festivals	Afrika Eye Bristol Festival of Ideas Bristol Harbour Festival Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Bristol Shakespeare Festival Festival of Nature Kite Festival Pride Bristol Slapstick Festival St Pauls Carnival
Museums, galleries, archives and public art	Arnolfini Blaise Castle Blaise Hamlet Banksy Bristol Archives Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery Bristol Harbour Railway Bristol Zoo Clifton Observatory Georgian House Glenside Museum Kings Weston Roman Villa M Shed Red Lodge Museum Royal West of England Academy See No Evil SS Great Britain We the Curious Wild Place Project
Parks & Open Spaces	Parks of Bristol Ashton Court Blaise Castle Brandon Hill Castle Park College Green The Downs Eastville Park Kings Weston Hill Lamplighters Marsh Redland Green Oldbury Court Estate Queen Square Snuff Mills St George's Park Stoke Park Victoria Park
Churches	All Saints' Church Bristol Cathedral Bristol Community Church Broadmead Baptist Church Buckingham Baptist Chapel Chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne Christ Church, Clifton Down Christ Church with St Ewen Church of All Saints Church of Holy Trinity, Hotwells Church of Holy Trinity, Stapleton Church of the Holy Trinity with St Edmund Church of St John the Baptist City Road Baptist Church Cotham Church Counterslip Baptist Church Clifton Cathedral Crofts End Church John Wesley's New Room Holy Trinity Church, Kingswood Holy Trinity Church, Westbury on Trym Horfield United Reformed Church Hope Chapel Lewin's Mead Unitarian meeting house Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Apostles St Mary Redcliffe Redland Chapel St. Augustine's Church, Whitchurch St Augustine the Less Church St George's Church St James' Presbyterian St James' Priory St John the Baptist St Luke's Church St Mark's Church St Mary le Port Church St Mary on the Quay St Mary's Church, Henbury St Matthew's Church St Michael on the Mount Without St Nicholas St Paul's Church St Paul's, Clifton St Peter and St Paul St Peter's Church, Bishopsworth St Peter's Church, Castle Park St Philip and St Jacob St Stephen's Church St Thomas the Martyr St Werburgh's Church Temple Church Trinity Centre Tyndale Baptist Church Whitefield's Tabernacle, Kingswood Woodlands Christian Centre
Pubs	Black Castle The Crown The Coronation Tap The Famous Royal Naval Volunteer Hatchet Inn King William Ale House The Lido Llandoger Trow Mauretania, Bristol Nova Scotia The Old Duke Old Post Office Palace Hotel Printers Devil Pump House Seven Stars Shakespeare Inn The Shakespeare Stag and Hounds
Former attractions	Ashton Court Festival Bierkeller Theatre British Empire and Commonwealth Museum Bristol Industrial Museum Jacobs Well Theatre Redcliffe Hall

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whitefield%27s_Tabernacle,_Kingswood&oldid=1240155740"

Categories:

Hidden categories:

See also

References

External links