Heritage Open Days: Bury St Edmunds Unitarian Meeting House
Visit the beautiful Grade One listed Meeting House, built in 1711.
Location
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1RH
Telephone
- Next Event
- 14th September 9:30am
- Event Finishes
- 14th September 4:00pm
About this event
The beautiful Grade One listed Meeting House, built in 1711, will be open for you to see inside.
They will have guides present to tell you more about the building, its history and what goes on there today.
Unitarians are an unconventional spiritual group in that we don't make people follow a set creed but encourage and support folks to think for themselves, and to create a harmonious lifestyle.
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About the Venue
Bury St Edmunds' finest building
The Meeting House was built in 1711 for its Presbyterian congregation, and is a fine example of the English Baroque style in its softer, more provincial manner. Fully restored between 1975 and 1991, the Grade 1 listed building is now one of Bury St Edmunds' most elegant venues.
The facade to Churchgate Street is one of the jewels of the town, with its gauged and rubbed brickwork in two tones of red, and excellent proportions.
Superb Acoustics
The warm wood floor, good height, and human scale combine to provide a clear and sympathetic sound for a variety of public uses. After all, it was built to ensure commanding solo performances!
A highly adaptable space
The interior is a classic example of a nonconformist meeting house of the period. The central open space is dominated by a fine two-tiered pulpit and surrounded on three sides by galleries containing the original box pews.
Serving Bury St Edmunds
The Meeting House is currently owned by Unitarian Trustees, and managed by the House Committee which includes representatives of the Community. The aim is to ensure wide and appropriate public use of the building for many years to come.
The House Committee is a committee of the Unitarian Trustees, an excepted charity
