John Wesley's Chapel and New Room Museum, Bristol

The New Room in Broadmead Bristol is the oldest purpose-built Methodist meeting house. It's a grade I listed building and the only piece of land in Broadmead not bought by Bristol City Council after World War II.

Built in 1739 under John Wesley's direction, it's the oldest Methodist chapel in the world. The courtyards have statues of John Wesley and his brother Charles. The chapel had rooms where Wesley and other preachers stayed. It had a double-decker pulpit and an octagonal lantern window to reduce the Window tax. It served as a dispensary, schoolroom, and place of worship for the poor. Pews and benches were made from old ship timber.

In 1748, it was extended, possibly by the architect George Tully. Wesley reluctantly allowed the enlargement to comply with the Toleration Act. Wesley lived there from 1748 to 1771 and sold his works from a bookstore in the New Room. After his death, it was passed to the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists and later returned to the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1929.

The building was restored in 1929, including the addition of the John Snetzler Chamber Organ of 1761. The Broadmead Courtyard has a garden and the Horsefair Visitor Centre was opened in 2017, providing new facilities like a cafe, library, archive, and expanded museum.