IPSWICH THINGS TO DO

Unitarian Meeting House – Heritage Open Days

Unitarian Meeting House, Ipswich

Information - Unitarian Meeting House – Heritage Open Days

Grade I listed non-conformist Meeting House built in 1699 and still almost as it was then – open access for all. Pulpit in the style of Grinling Gibbons, wig pegs, spy hole, brass chandelier, box pews, and a Grade II Hall to visit next door.

Restored in 2021 and removed from the Heritage At Risk Register, this building is regarded by many sources as the finest timber framed meeting house of its kind in Britain, typical of those built by congregations of Protestant Dissenters.

The architectural importance lies partly in the fact that it remains almost exactly as when it was built, with four wooden pillars supporting the double hipped roof. The pulpit is in the style of Grinling Gibbons and possibly carved by one of his pupils. The congregation sit in the original old box pews and there are special historic features such as wig pegs, a Dutch brass chandelier, an antique clock and a spy hole used by the congregation to check for approaching mobs during a time of religious upheaval and violence against dissenters.

You are free to wander around the chapel, to go up around the gallery, where you will see the building from a different angle. We will also be opening our Grade II listed Upper Hall next door which has a selection of paintings and prints of the Meeting House through the ages. There is easy access for people with mobility challenges – the site is level and doorways are wide. There is restricted access to the upper gallery and to the Hall – which is via stairs. There is a fully accessible toilet.

We will also this year be the hub for an Art Trail round the town with artists of many media exhibiting and sharing their skills within the Meeting House and outside in a marquee.