John Wesley's New Room

John Wesley’s New Room is a vibrant heritage site with a contemporary visitor centre and 18th century chapel. Located in Bristol’s Shopping Quarter, it a place to learn and explore, providing a space of reflection, curiosity and enjoyment for all.

It is a space that brings to life the story and legacy of the Wesleys. Stand in the pulpit where John and Charles Wesley preached. Explore the preachers rooms where early Methodists gathered for Bible study and prayer. Discover the story of early Methodism, its expansion nationwide and internationally. Find out how the community here played a vital role in providing healthcare and education for those in need and how John Wesley took a stand against slavery. John Wesley’s New Room is often referred to as the ‘Cradle of Methodism’, it is the oldest Methodist building in the world.

The Broadmead Courtyard at the front of the New Room has been described as an oasis in the heart of the city. It contains Wesley’s stable and the world-famous statue of him on horseback. The equally iconic statue of Charles Wesley graces its Horsefair entrance.

John Wesley’s New Room offers group and school visits, along with providing a range of venue hire opportunities. The events programme includes a variety of family activities, musical performances, and exhibitions. It has one of the best reference libraries on Methodist history in the country. Researchers can make use of this facility by prior arrangement. Every Friday a Communion service takes place in the chapel.

In 1739 George Whitefield invited John Wesley to preach in the open-air in Bristol. John accepted the invitation and began preaching to miners in Kingswood, 4 miles from the centre of Bristol. Within a few weeks work started on building a meeting place for two religious societies in the city. The building was put up in such haste that 9 years later in 1748 a ‘New Room’ was needed, adding an upper floor in order to accommodate visiting preachers’ bedrooms and a common room around a beautiful octagonal window.

Being well placed in the heart of the city, the New Room became a centre for the Wesleys’ work in Bristol. It was where John’s strong sense of social justice was first expressed. The New Room became a base for running a school for the poor, for providing food and clothes to the needy, for offering free medical care to the sick, and for helping those in the nearby prison. It was also the first place to use John Wesley’s ‘class’ system, where members were divided into sub-groups for mutual support and development.

The New Room was one of John Wesley’s three key centres. Many of the annual conferences were held there, including the one that first created Methodist circuits. Bristol’s trading links encouraged the growth of American Methodism. Thomas Webb, Francis Asbury, and others committed themselves to working there and sailed from nearby Pill. It was in Bristol that Wesley ordained some lay preachers in 1786 to become clergy in America and the New Room was a launching pad for his anti-slavery campaign.