Our History

The earliest record of a Baptist Church in Hereford was in 1653, when a number of Baptist Churches were established along the Wye Valley.

After persecution in the late 1600s, there is little evidence of any further Baptist activity in Hereford until the re-establishment of Baptist Churches in Herefordshire in the early 1800s.

Hereford Baptist Church was formed on 31st August 1828 and members met in a room in Church Street.

The first permanent building, known as Zion Chapel, was in “Bye Street Without” (now known as Commercial Road) It was built in 1837-38 on the site now occupied by Wetherspoons.

Over the next forty years, the church grew and, in 1878, Rev. John Williams accepted the call to the church. A new site was purchased in Commercial Road, where the Star and Garter Hotel had stood and the present church was opened for worship on 6th September 1881.

The church has seen many changes over the years including the addition of the small hall and what is now the office area at the back of the church in 1930 and the large hall in 1950.

During the 1970s, the church began a ‘Shoppers Crèche’ enabling mothers to leave their babies and toddlers in safe hands while they went into town to do their shopping. This has evolved to become what is now known as ‘Tot Stop’.

In 1975, due to a persistent leak, the baptistry was moved from under the platform at the front of the church, to its current elevated position above and behind the pulpit.

The first holiday clubs were held in the 1980s and a luncheon club for Senior Citizens was started in 1993.

As the 2000s dawned, a large portion of the church car park was leased to allow for the building of the new Hereford Magistrates’ Court. The income enabled a major reorganisation of the facilities at the rear of the church, the removal of the pews and their replacement by chairs, and a reconfiguration of the forecourt. The church began to support the work of Hope Now and became linked with the Second Baptist Church (now Calvary Baptist Church) in Cherkasy, Ukraine, which included a number of members visiting Cherkasy to support various projects.

In November 2002, Night Shift was started, providing a presence of the Church in the ‘night-time economy’ of the city. Later in the decade, Rose Garden Church was created to provide regular worship for residents of the new development of sheltered housing for older people on Ledbury Road. The Church also looked for ways to serve the Portfields area of the city, with a Pentecost event in Central Park followed by the first of the now annual ‘Treat or Treat’ (alternative to Halloween) events.

Although much has changed in Hereford over the years, HBC continues to be blessed by our God who is faithful, and we look forward to celebrating our 200th anniversary in 2028.