Eignbrook URC

Eignbrook church was founded in 1662 and the congregation originally met in a house near the River Wye, later it was forced to move to a site outside the city wall in the early 1700s, it has been on this site since then. The current church was built in 1872 and opened in 1873. The church hall was extended in the early 1970s and replaced a collection of older buildings. The Garden of Remembrance, which is located by the side of the hall, was created and dedicated in 1953 and has been used for the internment of member’s ashes over the last few decades.

The building itself has an unusual tower and the church frontage has listed status. Inside there is a plain but functional entrance, before you pass into the main church sanctuary through a new double doorway. The rear of the church had pews removed in the 1980’s to give the congregation a social area. The remainder of the sanctuary is much a built except for the removal of the organ pipes from the apse to the back of balcony and the wooden panelling that replaced the pipes. The stain glass windows were installed when the church building was built or soon afterwards and are typical of the late Victorian style.

The roof which has clerestory windows and prominent beams is high to allow for a balcony at the back of the church and the apse to be raised up above floor level but provide a suitable focal point. The whole lends itself to a quiet, dignified but spiritual interior which is nearly always commented on favourably by visitors. A good time to visit the church is immediately before Christmas where we turn the porch into a nativity scene and the window sills are decorated with beautifully made, wooden scenes depicting the Christmas Story and other aspects of the celebration. There is also a collection of small wooden figures representing all the members of the church which again visitors find delightful.