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Greenbank Masjid

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Coordinates: 51°28′04″N 2°33′28″W / 51.467854°N 2.557760°W / 51.467854; -2.557760
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greenbank Masjid
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Branch/traditionSunni
OwnershipEaston Islami Darasgah
Location
LocationGreenbank Road & Kingsley Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 6HE, United Kingdom
Map
Geographic coordinates51°28′04″N 2°33′28″W / 51.467854°N 2.557760°W / 51.467854; -2.557760
Architecture
Architect(s)Sir Frank Wills
StyleRomanesque Revival
Groundbreaking1 January 1902
Completed1902
Specifications
Capacity800 (original)
Minaret(s)0
Website
greenbankbristol.org

Greenbank Masjid (officially Easton Islami Darasgah) is a Hanafi–Deobandi mosque on Greenbank Road in the Easton area of Bristol, England. It occupies the former Castle Green United Reformed Church, a 1902 church building designed by Bristol architect Sir Frank Wills. The polychrome brick landmark, nicknamed the "Lego church",[1] replaced a much older chapel in what is now Castle Park. After the Christian congregation closed in 2008, the building was purchased and adapted for Muslim worship.[2][3]

History

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Castle Green congregation (1630s–1900)

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Religious dissenters connected with Bristol Castle were first noted in 1633, and by 1654 they met at the home of the governor, Colonel Adrian Scrope.[4] John Thompson, appointed pastor in 1670, was jailed under the Conventicle Acts and died in Newgate Prison in 1675, becoming a local Non-conformist martyr. Successive chapels were erected near Queen Street, in Castle Green (rebuilt 1730 and 1782) and lastly in 1815.[5][4]

By the 1890s the commercial quarter around Castle Green was in decline; the trustees agreed to sell the freehold chapel and schoolrooms in 1898.[6] Proceeds and a £120 endowment were transferred, under Charity Commission approval, to fund a new church in the growing suburb of Greenbank.[7]

Castle Green Church, Greenbank Road (1902–2008)

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The foundation stone of the new Castle Green Congregational Church was laid on 1 January 1902 by Charles Hobhouse, M.P.[7] Designed by Frank Wills and built by George Humphreys for about £5,000, the brick church seated 800 and included vestries and an attached school block.[7]

A thriving Sunday school reached nearly 600 pupils and teachers by 1907.[8] Ministers such as Revs George Adam and D. J. Roberts oversaw well-attended anniversaries of the congregation: the 268th (1920),[9] 269th (1921),[10] 270th (1922),[11] and 272nd (1924).[12] A comedy performance by Harry Lauder at the church in 1913, which drew an audience of 1,200, was widely reported on by international newspapers.[13][14][15]

After joining the United Reformed Church in 1972, attendance dwindled; the final service took place on 15 September 2008, and the marriage registration was formally cancelled in 2010.[16] The congregation was merged with Mangotsfield United Reformed Church into the Mangotsfield and Castle Green United Reformed Church on 20 September 2008.[17][18]

Greenbank Masjid (2008–present)

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The building was bought by the Easton Islami Darasgah and reopened as Greenbank Masjid, serving Bristol's Muslim community.[19][20]

A builder's time capsule containing newspapers, coins and stamps from 1901, was unearthed during renovation and donated to M Shed.[21] By 2024 the mosque reported 300 regular Friday worshippers, a 100-pupil madrassah and multiple welfare projects.[22] A major refurbishment of the women's prayer hall began in 2024.[23] Academic research has highlighted the mosque's efforts to include women in decision-making through a dedicated advisory committee.[24]

Architecture

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Wills's design is of pale yellow brick with broad red-brick bands, giving a polychrome effect. Twin square towers with open belfries flank a gabled west front pierced by three tiers of narrow round-arched windows; the composition recalls a continental westwork.[25] The brickwork earned the popular nickname "Lego church", still used locally.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Congregational; Castle Green Congregational Church, Eastville; 1901 - 2008". Bristol Archives online catalogue. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Christine (10 October 1968). "Chapel No. 4 is thriving now". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol. p. 14. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Castle Green Congregational Church, Eastville, Bristol". Places of Worship Database. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "New Castle Green Chapel – A Church with an Interesting History". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 12 October 1901. p. 6. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "New Castle Green Congregational Church". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 8 January 1912. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Castle Green, Bristol—Congregational Chapel Sale". Bristol Mercury and Daily Post. Bristol. 22 October 1898. p. 1. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c "New Church at Easton: Address by Mr C. E. Hobhouse, M.P." Western Daily Press. Bristol. 2 January 1902. p. 7. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "New Castle Green Congregational Church: Sunday School Anniversary". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 19 June 1907. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Castle Green Congregational Anniversary". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 9 September 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Castle Green Church and the Faith". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 6 September 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "270th Anniversary at Castle Green, Bristol". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 11 September 1922. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "272nd Anniversary of Castle Green Church". Western Daily Press. Bristol. 18 September 1924. p. 7. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Church Laughs When Harry Lauder Preaches". The Washington Times. 23 June 1913. p. 9 – via NewspaperArchive.
  14. ^ "Harry Lauder's Gospel". Nowra Shoalhaven News and South Coast Districts Advertiser. 30 August 1913. p. 3 – via NewspaperArchive.
  15. ^ "Harry Lauder as Preacher". Hobart Mercury. 1 August 1913. p. 6 – via NewspaperArchive.
  16. ^ "Registrar General: cancellations of marriage registrations". The London Gazette. No. 59602. 15 October 2010. p. 15643. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  17. ^ "About Us". Mangotsfield & Castle Green United Reformed Church. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Congregational; Castle Green Congregational Church, Eastville; 1901 - 2008". Bristol Archives online catalogue. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Greenbank Masjid". All Mosques Together.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "Greenbank Masjid, Bristol". Bristol Multi Faith Forum. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  21. ^ Curtis, Fay (15 January 2020). "What inspires our curators?". Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Easton Islami Darasgah: Report and Financial Statements Year ending 29 February 2024". Charity Commission for England and Wales. 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  23. ^ "Women's Section Renovation – Progress Update". Greenbank Masjid. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  24. ^ Lewicki, Aleksandra; O'Toole, Therese; Modood, Tariq (2014). Building the Bridge: Muslim community engagement in Bristol (PDF) (Report). University of Bristol. pp. 36–38. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  25. ^ Gomme, Andor; Jenner, Michael; Little, Bryan (1979). Bristol, an Architectural History. Lund Humphries. p. 384. ISBN 9780853314097.
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