Leicester unitarians unitarians Leicester HOME Leicester Unitarians Great Meeting interior Our Chapel is a place in which to pause, to seek tranquillity,
and for each to explore their own spiritual path in life. Our Chapel is a place in which to pause, to seek tranquillity,
and for each to explore their own spiritual path in life. Leicester unitarians unitarians HOME Leicester Leicester unitarians Over 300 years of Freedom, Reason and Tolerance Over 300 years of Freedom, Reason and Tolerance Leicester unitarians HOME

Sunday Services
We are pleased to announce that all services are now back in the Chapel on Sundays at 11am, with Covid precautions including the need to wear a mask. The services are also transmitted by Zoom. Click the link below and join with us. Services start at 11.00am, but you can open the Zoom link from 10.30am onwards. The Meeting ID is: 871 7727 9915       Click here to open Zoom

Great Meeting Unitarian Chapel Leicester

We are a long-established congregation of, at present, thirty to forty individuals who share an enquiring outlook into non-dogmatic liberal religion.

The Chapel and its history

The Chapel was erected in 1708 as a “Meeting House of Protestant Dissenters” (read more) where with freedom from dogma we seek to affirm an open-ended faith in life, in humanity and in God.

(Click photo right to enlarge)

Leicester Unitarians Great Meeting interior view
The Minister, Rev. Dr. A. Stewart

Arthur Stewart was educated at St David’s College, Lampeter, where he completed his Ph.D. He trained for the ministry at Manchester College, Oxford, and has served congregations in Sheffield and the Cotswold Group before coming to Leicester in 1989.

Arthur was a tutor to the Ministry Students at Harris Manchester College, Oxford until 2018.

Great Meeting Chapel Roof Repair Fund
Our Grade II listed Great Meeting Chapel is under threat from a leaking roof and rusting gutters. Failure to act soon
could render the Chapel and its meeting rooms unusable. We are asking for help and support to protect this unique
city centre ‘gem’ and its fascinating history for future generations. Work is now underway – click here to learn more…

We thank the many people who have already started donating to the Roof Repair Fund. We are also very grateful for generous donations from The Gregson Trust of £3,000 and from East Midland Unitarians of £5,750.

The Pilgrim Trust – Grant Award
We have been awarded a grant of £4,900 from The Pilgrims Trust. The grant will go towards the expense of cleaning a good selection of our excellent internal wall memorials. We appreciate the help given to us by The Pilgrim Trust and express our sincere thanks. 
The Pilgrim Trust gives grants totalling over £3 million each year to charities and other public bodies. Sixty percent of funding is directed towards projects aimed at preserving the fabric of architecturally or historically important buildings, or projects working to preserve historically significant artifacts or documents.

Mobile Covid Vaccination Centre
Covid jabs have been given to more than 100 homeless people in the city, thanks to a GP practice working with ‘harder to reach’ communities. We were very pleased to host a weekend Covid vaccination programme in our car park, run by Inclusion Healthcare, for asylum seekers, refugees and the homeless. Photos show the mobile vaccination centre. – click photo to enlarge.
Click to read full report in Leicester Live.

Chapel Garden Events – City of Sanctuary

Leicester Unitarians are hosting two groups in the Chapel garden during the Covid restrictions. ‘City of Sanctuary’ are holding a session for the distribution of essential items such as toiletries once per week for asylum seekers and refugees, and ‘After 18’ are holding small group, open air, social and activity meet-ups for their young clients three times per week. We are pleased to have been of help to these organisations who have had difficulty finding a suitable space for their activities during the lockdown. (Click photo to enlarge)

Chapel Garden Events – Soccersize Exercise Classes
Coach Sarah from Leicester City Football Club’s Community Department is holding ‘Soccersize’ exercise classes for the clients of ‘City of Sanctuary’ in the garden at Great Meeting. Drills, skills and relays, much enjoyed by all.

(Click photo to enlarge)

Chapel Garden Events – Refugee Week

Activities in the garden, planting herbs and making bunting and much else, for refugee week. (Click photo to enlarge)

Coronavirus
During the 2020/2021 Covid pandemic there were many months when, due to Lockdown restrictions, normal services could not be held in the chapel. As an alternative, services were conducted at a distance with Zoom. Despite initial doubts, the Zoom services were very enjoyable and engaging events, with readings, prayers, music and a homily from our minister. This ‘at-a-distance’ service helped members keep connected with the chapel and each other. Each week, after the service, the homily was placed on the website. In addition, the homilies were published in a booklet, adding new homilies week by week. The updated booklet was then published weekly on the website and are now archived and available to everyone to read.

Click here for the archived pages.     Click here to read the Homily Booklet.

Four seasons in the gardens near the Garden Room and school.
Springtime with bluebells, summer sunshine, autumn with falling leaves, and winter, with snow covering the Chapel garden. CLICK photos to enlarge.

Leicester Unitarians Great Meeting past events

Roll-over images and then CLICK for more information

  • Thoughts of the Minister

  • Read our latest newsletter

  • Our passion for music

  • Televised Sunday Service

  • Our Chapel Services

  • Our Wedding Facilities

    • More photos, showing unique tiles in the chapel, chapel interiors, garden areas, three generations of members, and stained-glass window.
    CLICK photos to enlarge.

    Join with Leicester Unitarians at the Great Meeting Unitarian Chapel, Leicester

    Great Meeting : Unitarian Chapel : 45 East Bond Street : Leicester LE1 4SX

    Updated Saturday June 19 2021