The Fishermens Chapel

August 20, 2014 by Joanna Harrison

You've probably driven past it hundreds of times. You may have even sleeked alongside it on the train. Or maybe, just maybe, looked over the railway line while sitting in the Old Town thinking 'what is that square white building?'

New Road Methodist Church, also known as the Fishermen's Chapel, is a working church with a modest congregation that meets every other Sunday. But it's also a burgeoning arts venue.

A longstanding supporter of the Leigh Folk Festival (for its proximity and ethos), in December 2013 the Festival committee, in a collaboration with record label Stone Tape Recordings and local arts group Sundown Arts, held a one-day festival there to celebrate the Midwinter Solstice, with musicians, poets, and all kinds of cultural delights.

It was such a success that the Folk Festival used the Chapel as a venue for the whole weekend of their 2014 festival.

Boasting a gorgeous chapel (with, of course, wonderful acoustics) the chapel also has a downstairs space so that events can have two separate stages running at the same time.

The Chapel has since been used for workshops, curry nights, and more music events, and is available to rent out for a highly competitive price.

The Chapel can also offer a cafe serving home made cakes, tea and coffee, with the profits going towards the running of the venue.

It's Leigh-on-Sea's answer to the Colchester Arts Centre, or dare we say it, the Union Chapel.

A spiritual space serving the arts in a beautiful setting. You really should check it out. www.fishermenschapel.org.uk