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Stokescroft Chapel,
64-66 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QU,
Stokes Croft, Bristol, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

We believe the Chapel did NOT have a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1879, but we understand it was closed in 1941.

This place of worship is labelled as "Stokescroft Chapel" on Bristol Town Maps of 1885, with a congregation of "Christian Brethren", and seating for 300. The present building is possibly all that remains of larger premises, as Old Maps show a large plot, backing onto City Road, and it is listed in Kelly's Directory of Bristol of 1914 as occupying #64-66 Stokes Croft. I understand the Chapel was bombed during the Bristol Blitz, but a building of which ecclesiastical origins are still evident does survive. The entrance doorway is modern, but above it is a tall, round-arched window, with radial glazing at the top, and split into 6 rows of 4 panes below, typical of chapel buildings. There is also evidence of two tiers of windows on either side, though these appear to be no longer used.

The following notice in The London Gazette of 23rd February 1886 (p.857) recorded its registration for marriages:

NOTICE is hereby given, that a separate building, named Stokes Croft Chapel, situate at Stokes Croft, in the parish of Saint Paul, in the city and county of Bristol, in the district of Bristol, being a building certified according to law as a place of religious worship, was, on the 6th day of February, 1886, duly registered for solemnizing marriages therein, pursuant to the Act of 6th and 7th Wm. 4, cap. 85. Dated 9th February 1886.

Following its destruction by enemy action in 1941, meetings were held in Eugene Street; however it was not until 20th May 1958 that its registration for marriages was officially cancelled. A notice in The London Gazette of 13th May 1958 (p.3398) recorded that "ZETLAND HALL, 2 and 4 North Road, Bishopston, in the registration district of Bristol" was registered in place of "Stokes Croft Chapel, Stokes Croft, now disused" on that date. There are further details of the Chapel, its forerunners, and its successor, on the Zetland Evangelical Church website.

Denomination

Now or formerly Christian Brethren.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Chapel was located at OS grid reference ST5911773887. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Stokescroft Chapel, Stokes Croft, Bristol shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Bristol shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Stokes Croft, Bristol, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Information provided on the Zetland Evangelical Church website. (verified 2018-11-04)
• Notices of Civil Registration of Places of Worship for marriages are published in the London edition of The Gazette. Hint: search for registrations from 1998 by choosing 'Church' notices, and the option 'Registration for solemnising marriage'. (verified 2018-12-11)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.