History
The congregation maintain a tradition continuous from 1642 when the Reverend William Bridge,who had been ejected in 1636 from St. Peter Hungate church, Norwich, returned to England from Rotterdam where he was Pastor to the English Church of the Dissenters. Bridge and Reverend John Oxenbridge founded Independent congregations in Great Yarmouth and Norwich respectively. Later, Bridge was appointed to the Assembly of Divines, which meant frequent visits to London and then Oxenbridge took up an appointment in Yorkshire. By 1644 it was agreed that the two congregations should go their separate ways and the Old Meeting was built in Colegate, Norwich. Bridge, however was regarded as in charge at both places with Gt Yarmouth being considered "the safer of the two". Smaller groups, such as that at Hapton wrote to Gt Yarmouth for advice about their problems. Meetings at Yarmouth were held at the Priory. The nave and south aisle were retained for Anglican worship, the north aisle for Presbyterians and the chancel was reserved for the Independents. William Bridge died in 1670. A meeting house was eventually built in Middlegate in 1673. In 1705 a meeting house was also built in the nearby village of Filby and the two congregations became closely connected.
From the mid-18C new thinking arose based upon new knowledge of the material universe and scientific fact. Joseph Priestly at Daventry Academy in 1752 began the search which developed into Unitarianism.
In Yarmouth a new meeting house (predecessor of the Congregational church) was built in Gaol Street in 1733. By 1845 the congregation had become Unitarian and a new chapel, still called "Old Meeting" replaced the 17th century building from a design in modern Gothic but it was destroyed by wartime bombing in 1941.
A succession of temporary homes for the congregation were found at the Friends' Meeting House, a converted fish house, The Ferry Hotel and a hut on South Quay before the latest Unitarian "Old Meeting" was built in 1954. The architect, Mr C H Dann has achieved an outstanding light and airy effect in the interior of the church.
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The Norfolk Archaeological Trust,on behalf of the Trustees of Old Meeting, manages the small meadow at Filby where the Unitarian chapel stood before it was demolished after suffering severe bomb damage in the Second World War. It is an interesting site with the foundations of two chapels, along with some fine eighteenth century grave slabs which are set in the grass. See www.norfarchtrust.org.uk/filby) |
 Filby Chapel site |
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Portrait of Reverend William Bridge AM Obit 1670. First minister of Old Meeting, Great Yarmouth. Presented to this church by John Ives F.R.S & F.S.A anno 1774 from an original painting in his own possession. The painting has been placed in the care of the Norfolk Museums Service. |
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Stained-glass window: "I will make you fishers of men" inscribed ALW DGK 1954. |
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The Meeting House, Gaol Street, Gt Yarmouth. Built 1733 demolished 1869. |