Zion Baptist Church, Trowbridge

A total of 41 people seceded from the Back Street Baptist chapel in 1813 because they disapproved of the doctrines of the new minister. They rented premises on Wicker Hill and their first permanent pastor was John Warburton, a Lancashire weaver. He was a very popular preacher, wrote a Christian classic (The Mercies of a Covenant God) and was one of the 3 founders of the Gospel Standard Baptist Churches. In 1816 the congregation purchased a site in Union Street and erected a chapel with seating for 700. In 1825 a baptistry was added and in 1828, a vestry. In 1826 some members seceded to form the Little Bethel chapel. In 1828 a Sunday school was established in a schoolroom at the rear and Isaac Pitman, the inventor of Pitman's shorthand, taught there. Warburton remained the pastor for 42 years and had a regular congregation of up to 1,000. In 1863 proper schoolrooms were built and in 1879 a further 3 were erected behind them.

Between 1865 and 1890 numbers attending the chapel were over 180. By 1890 the Sunday school had 240 pupils and a library of 819 volumes. In 1893 three more schoolrooms with erected, with William Applegate providing the money as he had for the earlier three. These, and a new vestry, were built on the site of a row of cottages, although some of the cottages were made into almshouses which were demolished in 1956. All buildings had been lit by gas from 1841 and this was replaced by electric lighting in 1923. The morning Sunday school closed in 1965 but the afternoon one still continues. The chapel celebrated its centenary with a service on 8th January 1913. The Church has thrived during the 20th century and much work has been done on the history of the church and many exhibitions have been held.