On Saturday 18th November, to celebrate the church’s 170th anniversary, a thanksgiving service was held followed by a fellowship tea. The guest speaker for the Saturday, and both Sunday anniversary services on the 19th, was Paul Yeulett pastor of Grove Chapel, Camberwell, London. All services can be found / listened to on our sermon page.
Brief history:
In 1840 there was only one place of worship in Clifton, the parish church, St. Andrew’s. The first minute book of Buckingham Chapel tells us that in 1840 a few friends of the Baptist Church, one of whom was resident in Clifton, met together to discuss how to form a church which should “ exhibit the doctrines and practices of the New Testament unfettered by State Alliance or the traditions of men”.
The task before them was huge, and those who met together appreciated that the realisation of this object would mean many years of personal and pecuniary sacrifice.
A suitable piece of ground was found and Richard Shackleton Pope, a Bristol architect who worked closely with Isambard Kingdom Brunel and George Ashmead, offered a beautiful design for a building, which was accepted. The cost of the work was put at £3,500. Before the work could be undertaken it was necessary to raise contributions towards the cost of the building. Although short of the sum needed to complete the work it is believed work had started on the Chapel by 1842.
The Chapel was opened for worship on 2 June 1847 with a prayer meeting at 7am. After a few months it was decided that a congregation should be gathered and on 20th November 1847 some four hundred people worshipped together.
Since it’s opening there have been 13 Pastors. The longest serving, having served the church as pastor for 33 years, was Ronald Clarke, who recently passed away.