The Old Meeting, Warminster

It is recorded that there was a group of people, including many nonconformists, in 1648 who were opposed to the preaching of the vicar, while in 1659 there were 300 parishioners who refused to pay the vicar his dues. In 1669 a congregation of between 200 and 300 were meeting at St. Laurence's Chapel and William Buckler's house - these included Presbyterians, Anabaptists and Independents. In 1675 there were 56 nonconformists - mainly Presbyterians and Independents - who were the forerunners of the Old Meeting. From 1687 the congregation that met openly in the town, temporarily in a barn at Beastley's Meadow, was to become the Old Meeting. In 1691 a plain meeting house was built near the barn, in what became Meeting House Lane and is now North Row.

In 1704 extra land was bought, the meeting house demolished and a larger one, seating 500, built. The congregation inclded the most important families in the town - Edward Middlecott, lord of the manor and the richest man in town, William Temple, lord of the manor of Bishopstrow - and included clothiers and prosperous tradesmen. In 1706 there was a new minister, Samuel Bates, who was suspected of Arianism by some of the congregation, who seceded to form the New Metting in 1709. Most of the chief families remained and in 1715 the congregation still numbered 800. By this time they had become Presbyterian and Bates remained as minster until 1761. A Sunday school was started in 1785 and in the late 18th century the meeting changed to the Unitarian doctrine. There was a steady decline in the 19th century; 250 attended in 1829 but the number was only about 50 in 1851. The last permenant minister left in 1866 and the chapel closed in1868. The meeting house was sold in 1870 and the proceeds were given to the Unitarian chapel at the Conigre in Trowbridge. The meeting house was later used as the British Girls' School and by 1962 was used as an annexe by the Avenue School. It is of plain brick with stone dressings and mullion windows.