History

Upton Baptist church may meet in a relatively new building but in fact it has been in existence for over 130 years. The opening of the new building is merely a recent event in the history of the Church that has proved God's goodness down through the years.

Beginnings

The Church began life in a small building in Pepper Street, Chester in July 1871. From this small group has grown the oldest surviving baptist church in Chester. After a few years numbers increased significantly as over 90 new members were added. With this increase in numbers the congregation outgrew the small chapel and in 1875 a building fund was opened to save for a brand new building.

Grosvenor Park Baptist Church

After some searching, a site in Grosvenor Park Road was purchased and work on constructing a much larger and far more practical building began on 3rd June 1879. Amazingly the whole job was complete in under 12 months and Grosvenor Park Baptist Church was officially opened on 13th July 1880.

The Church thrived for several decades. However, from the late 1950s a road building and demolition programme resulted in large numbers leaving the locality and in effect translated an urban area into an inner ring road. During this time the Church was often without a minister and declined in numbers, at one time sinking to single figures.

New growth

In 1970 a new minister arrived who focused the fellowship on evangelism. In the late 70s a decision was made to move to one of the city suburbs. A number of promising sites were found but for one reason or another they fell through.

In September 1979 the Church began dialogue with Chester Zoo about a plot of land in Flag Lane South in Upton which eventually went to auction later that year. The auction was remarkable. Bidding for the plot was quite hectic but when our maximum offer was put forward there were no counter bids and the land became ours.

The move to Upton

The Church of about 35 members moved to Upton in September 1980, changing its name to Upton Baptist Church in the process. Meetings were held for some years in Upton Manor (now Upton Heath) Junior School (picture to the right), which neighboured the building plot, while the old building was sold and the new one designed and built.

The building was carried out in three phases: firstly the base; then the 'A' framework, which was pre-fabricated in Scandinavia; and finally the interior. In the Summer of 1987 the work was complete and the first worship service held in September of that year.

And now…

The newness of the building hides the fact that here we belong to a much older fellowship of God's people. Over the years the Church has been a living testimony to God's leading and guidance through the times of decline as well as times of plenty.

The regular congregation is currently around 80-90 people, about two thirds of whom are formal members.