United Reform Church

Born in 1703 in Epworh Rectory, John Wesley was the son of Rev. Samuel Wesley and was the 15th of 19 children born to his father and his mother, Susanna.  He was  a cleric, theologian and evangelist who became a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism.  Together with his brother Charles, they set about providing chapels for their worship, the first being the New Room in Bristol which was established in 1739.  In 1748 Wesley preached in Halifax which later became a Methodist society and in 1773 the chapel of Mount Zion was erected.  Wesley preached there in 1774 and became a regular visitor, staying at the cottage adjoining the chapel.

Due to his charitable nature, when he died in 1791 he was a poor man but left behind 135,000 members and 541 preachers under the name "Methodist".  His work took him around the world and the societies he and his brother founded became the dominant form of the Methodist movement and is still active today.

If you wish to find out more about John Wesley and the New Room (right), please click the link here.

Following Wesley's death, several groups broke away from the Wesleyan Methodists.  One being the "Tent Methodists" which was formed by George Pocock.  George Pocock was born in Hungerford, Berkshire in 1774.  He later moved to Bristol and became a teacher at Prospect Place, he was also an inventor and patented the Charvolant, a kite-drawn buggy.  Pocock joined the Portland Chapel, Bristol and became a local Wesleyan Methodist preacher.  He was however, removed from his communion for irregular evangelistic work.  In 1814, Pocock and a number of local preachers believed that there were not enough places in the more rural areas outside of Bristol to preach so it was decided to take their preachings to them.  Pocock went about designing and building a large marquee style structure or "Itinerant Temple" which would eventually cater for up to 700 people.  At first starting with one tent, and then eventually two, Pocock and his associates took to the road and covered several counties in the South of England and Wales and some locations as far north as Liverpool and Manchester.

We know George Pocock visited many villages around Bristol however this account in the Western Daily Press on 19th December 1927 refers to his first being at Whitchurch.  I'm sure it would have been quite the occasion and like many others, would have left a lasting impression on the community.  Around 1830, Tent Methodism started to lose its momentum with many ministers moving on becoming prominent Congregational ministers.  Other senior members, in due course, came to accept the arguments that caused them to break away and returned to become Wesleyan Methodists, as did George Pocock.  George Pocock died on 9th November 1843 at the age of 69.  The Tent Methodists, although fairly short-lived, had a more lasting affect on some communities than was first thought.

35 years later the Zion Chapel was deemed to be too overcrowded and the decision was made to take it down.  In it's place there had been designed a larger Chapel with a planned capacity of 180 persons and a Schoolroom to accommodate up to 60 children.  The plans were for a Gothic style chapel using local stone at an estimated cost of £650.  

In June 1866 the foundation stone was laid.

This occasion was documented in an article from the Western Daily Press dated 21st June 1866.

Just over 11 months later, the chapel had been completed and an opening service took place along with tea afterwards attended by over 500 people and some honorary attendees, including the Mayor. 

Meticulously documented in the Western Daily Press dated 29th May 1867 and the Bristol Times & Mirror dated 30th May 1867.

The new Congregational Chapel and Schoolroom offered a place to worship, learn and to give thanks.  It was a place to meet, get married  and a place to remember and celebrate those that are no longer with us.

The hall adjoining the chapel was enlarged in 1922 and in 1953 after much effort and fundraising, a large hall was built on the grounds to the rear of the chapel, previously an orchard which was used as a Sunday School.  This would later become the Community Centre.  The chapel itself would eventually once again be referred to as the Zion Chapel.

Below are a selection of newspaper articles through the years.

On 21st June 1972, the United Reform Church Bill was passed in the House of Commons.  This brought the union of the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales and was deemed as one of the most historic measures in the history of Christian Churches.  In 2012 the URC voted to allow the blessing of same-sex civil partnerships and in 2016 voted to allow it's churches to conduct same-sex marriages.  As of 2022 the URC was reported to have approx 40,000 members in 1284 congregations with 334 ministers.

Over the past month, we have been given permission to detect on the land to the rear of the URC and adjacent to the Community Centre.  There are two areas of grass that was covered which are highlighted on this sketch.  Here we are delighted to share our findings. 

Our thanks go out to Sue Gunter for allowing us to dig and to those who showed an interest whilst we were there.  We were amazed at how much we found in a relatively modest area.  It has clearly been loved and well used.