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Hope Chapel is home to Hope Community Church in Hotwells, Bristol, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
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History
The chapel was founded by Lady Hope and Lady Glenorchy in 1786 after visiting the Georgian natural hot spa resort but finding that the only place of worship was up a steep hill in Clifton. By 1851 the church had an attendance of 600 to 700 in the morning and 700 to 800 in the evening.
By the 1970s attendance was falling and by 1980 was no longer used as a place of worship. Members of the local community rescued the building, restoring the roof and fabric of the chapel and ran it as an arts and community centre for almost 30 years.
In 2000 it reopened as Hope Community Church, a Congregational Church with a vision "to bring hope to all people through the good news of Jesus Christ" and four dreams: "to be a place of constant prayer, to be a church that children love, to be a place of hope for people on the margins of society, to be at the heart of the community." The church has grown to a congregation of around 250 adults and children (2016) and the chapel is busy throughout the week with a wide variety of events and activities. The Prayer Centre at Hope Chapel is a resource used by churches and Christians from across the city.
Between 2006 and 2013 Bristol and Regional Archaeological Services (BaRAS) maintained a watching brief overseeing works to excavate the crypt ready for conversion into public space.
Description
The south front has four bays with pilasters. Within the hall there is a balcony supported on cast iron columns. The interior includes memorials to many members of the congregation from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Archives
Records of Hope Chapel, Hotwells are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. 38545) (online catalogue) including baptism, marriage and burial registers.