Thornbury United Reformed Church

Life at Thornbury United Reformed Church . . .

According to the URC Year Book the church dates back to 1662 and we celebrated the 350th anniversary in 2012 accordingly. This date is now known to be a mistake by the 18th century historian William Caffall: the earliest confirmed date is of a Presbyterian Meeting House in a home in Thornbury in 1672. The first, Presbyterian, chapel was built in 1718. In 1826 the current building was opened as an Independent Chapel, officially becoming Congregational in the middle of the 19th century. The current church is Grade 2* listed with a hall added in 1876 to accommodate the flourishing Sunday School. The porch added in the late 19th century carries the words ‘Congregational Church'. The church is surrounded by a walled grave yard, now, after recent re-ordering, called the church garden, which is opened as often as possible as a quiet space.

The church building is in a ‘classical’ nonconformist style with blind windows at the sides and arched windows above them, a gallery with a flat area for the original musicians, a raised dais at the front with the Communion table, and a pulpit next to the front wall. On the west side an extension houses the organ, which dates from 1899, and is now on the register of historic organs. The pews were removed in the 1980's because of woodworm and dry rot damage and the church now provides a flexible carpeted space with about 100 comfortable chairs.

Opening off the front of the church there is a vestry and a small hall. Beyond, a corridor leads to the church office, a store room, kitchen, toilets and back door. Upstairs is the large hall. This was renovated in 2009 and the acoustics improved in 2015. It is used by the Sunday school and for church functions, as well as Your Call youth theatre group, a Pilates class, and a Clarinet Choir.

The URC stands very near the centre of town, on the corner of St. Mary Street car park. Until the 1960s, small terraced houses and the original chapel stood where the car park is now.