At Carlisle Baptist we know that church is much more about people than buildings.

Over our long history in the city the Baptist church have met in a number of locations.

From 1809 the church held their meetings in a room in Abbey Street; later, sometime after 1817 we rented the former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Fisher Street on the other side of the street to the Methodist Central Hall; (S.Jefferson, 1838, p274);

Another group, the Berian Baptists, met in a small Chapel in Tower Street, built in 1818 [P&W 1829 p140]; the location of 2 Baptist Chapels is shown on Wood’s 1821 map of the city.

By 1847 the Baptists were renting a room with seating for up to 1000 at the Athenaeum, on Lowther street, see below.

The foundation stone of the current building on the corner of Warwick Square and Aglionby Street was laid on 21.07.1887; and the building opened 17.11.1888.

ATHENAEUM Lowther Street Opened 28.04. 1840; opened in 1840. It was originally equipped with a lecture theatre, museum, exhibition and concert rooms, and housed the Mechanics’ Institution. Designed by Arthur and George Williams of Liverpool; contained large lecture room capable of seating 1,000 people and was until 1851 the home of the Mechanics Institute and Library; inside remodelled into extension for adjacent General Post Office which opened on 26.01.1874; inside designed by J.H.Martindale and opened as Savings Bank 09.07.1929; interior entirely gutted 1988; from 2004 home of Lloyds TSB Bank. References to the construction of the building are in the Carlisle Journal (1839, 1840 and 1845).