New Room, Bristol

New Room
Statue of John Wesley with the New Room behind.
Location within Bristol
General information
Location	Bristol, England
Coordinates	51°27′26″N 2°35′19″W / 51.4572°N 2.5886°W / 51.4572; -2.5886
Completed	1739

The New Room (grid reference ST592733) is a historic building in Broadmead, Bristol, England.

It was built in 1739 by John Wesley and is the oldest Methodist chapel in the world. Above the chapel are the rooms in which Wesley and other preachers stayed. The chapel includes a double decker pulpit, which was common at the time, and an octagonal lantern window to reduce the amount paid in Window tax. In addition to meetings and worship the New Room was used a dispensary and schoolroom for the poor people of the area.^[1] The pews and benches were made from old ship timber.^[2]

New Room interior

The courtyards around the building contain statues of John Wesley^[3] and his brother Charles.^[4]

In 1748 it was extended possibly by the Quaker George Tully because of the stylistic similarities with the Friends’ Meeting House at Quakers Friars of the same period.^[5] After Wesley's death the property passed into the hands of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists. In 1909 it was given back to the Methodist Church. The John Snetzler Chamber Organ of 1761 is a 20th century addition following the restoration of the building in 1929 by Sir George Oatley.

It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building,^[6] and is the only piece of land in Broadmead for which the freehold has not been bought by Bristol City Council during expansion after World War II. Plans are currently under development for a visitor centre to be created.^[7]

See also

• Charles Wesley's House (Bristol)
• Wesley's Chapel (London)
• Churches in Bristol
• Grade I listed buildings in Bristol

References

1. ^ "Wesley's gateway to the West". Methodist Heritage. http://www.methodistrecorder.co.uk/mrbristol.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
2. ^ "The New Room". BBC Bristol. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/image_galleries/new_room_up_gallery.shtml?6. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
3. ^ "Statue of John Wesley in courtyard in front of The New Room". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=379025. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
4. ^ "Statue of Charles Wesley in courtyard to rear of The New Room". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=379800. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
5. ^ "Wesley's New Room". Looking at Buildings from the Pevsner Architectural Guides. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927235114/http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/default.asp?Document=3.C.2,5. Retrieved 2007-03-31. 
6. ^ "The New Room". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=379024. Retrieved 2007-03-16. 
7. ^ "64.The New Room, Bristol". Methodist Conference. http://www.methodistconference.org.uk/Conf06_New_Room_Bristol.doc. Retrieved 2007-03-31. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• New Room, Bristol
• John Wesley's New Room