Coventry Society Committee member, David Porter, has been following up concerns raised about the condition of this Church in Coventry. David writes…..
One threat to our heritage which has become more pronounced in recent years involves the growing number of churches at risk, with Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register for 2025 listing nearly 1,000 places of worship.
For its part, Coventry Society has addressed similar issues over the fate of church buildings in the city, as in the case of the demolition of St Nicholas’ in Radford, St. Columba’s United Refored Church, and on a much more positive note the local listing and continued use of the Hearsall Baptist Sunday School buildings.
Accordingly, when it became known from contacts at the Greyfriars Society that the Great Meeting House Unitarian Church was suffering from structural issues and in consequence ‘is no longer safe for public access’ concerns were raised about the long-term future of this site.
By way of background, the main church building and the hall at the rear date back to 1936, when four foundation stones were laid at the site. By an interesting coincidence, the complex was designed by local architect George Arthur Steane, who was also responsible for the design of the Sunday School buildings mentioned above.
A year later, at a cost of £12,000 and with space for 250 congregants, the completed church was officially opened on 23rd July 1937 by Mrs Sydney Martineau, a descendant of Dr Martineau who had been an important figure in Unitarianism. On opening the door of the new church with the gold key presented to her for this purpose, Mrs Martineau commented upon the traditions of the original Unitarian church which she stated dated back some 237 years.
To explain this historical reference, the first Great Meeting House was built on Smithford Street in 1700 – possibly replacing an older structure called the Leather Hall – and remained in use until its sale and demolition in 1935, the proceeds from which were used to fund the building we see today on Holyhead Road.
Looking at a map of the city centre from 1887, the Great Meeting House can be seen between the Market Hall and the then unculverted Sherborne River, approximately on the spot which Marks and Spencer occupies today in the Precinct:
What is striking about the building on Smithford Street is that prior to its demolition the original panelling as well as two oak pillars were removed and incorporated in the new building. In fact, as the photo by former minister Jeffrey Bowes shows below, these features are still visible today in the semi-circular sanctuary at the rear of the building:
For its part, what is striking about the building on Holyhead Road is the contrast between its dark red, arguably rather utilitarian exterior and its light, very open interior, still painted in cream as when it was opened, which colour according to a contemporary newspaper article blended well with the much older dark oak pillars which ‘might have been growing in the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s day.’
To add further to this sense of continuity with the past, both the font and the clock which feature in the current building were also brought over from the Smithford Street site.
Given its direct links to the original 1700 structure and the appealing design inside the church, it is heartening to report from Aleks Zglinska, the President/Chair of the trustees at Great Meeting House, that the intention is ‘to ensure the ongoing safe use’ of the site.
In her statement, Aleks reports that the major structural problems concern the ingress of water caused in particular by the failure of flat roof sections in the meeting house and the concrete coping around the edge of the building, which has affected the sanctuary. In response to this, an estate manager has been appointed to advise on the best course of action, which as funds permit will allow ‘a good heritage repair’ to be effected.
An addendum
In completely different vein, another unusual feature of the Great Meeting House is its electric Hammond B3 organ, which according to the church’s website was transported from America on the Queen Mary and installed in the sanctuary in October 1936, where it remains in working order to this day. Its design was quite revolutionary at the time as no organ pipes were used, the sound being created instead by a number of ‘whirling discs,’ the output from which was boosted by an amplifier powered by electronic valves. Given that the Hammond Organ Company was apparently only founded in 1935, this example on Holyhead Road must surely therefore be one of the oldest such devices in existence.