‘Temples worthy of His Presence’? Churches and Chapels in East Anglia from the Reformation to the present day

In this illustrated talk, Tony Kirby will explore how places of worship in Cambridgeshire and the surrounding counties have changed from the 16^th century onwards to reflect trends in what was considered ‘right’ in the context of their age, from Puritan iconoclasm through the emergence of ‘Dissent’ in the 18^th century, the Evangelical Revival, the Oxford Movement (and its Cambridge equivalent) and the self-confidence of Victorian Nonconformity to the challenges faced by the churches of all denominations today. Some of the places he will talk about will be very familiar, but others hopefully less so!

Tony Kirby was, before retirement, Co-ordinator of Strategic and Curriculum Planning at Anglia Ruskin University. He is Acting Co-President of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, Programme Secretary for the Cambridgeshire Association for Local History, was co-compiler (with Elizabeth Baigent) of the 2024 ‘Historical Map of Cambridge’, published by the Historic Towns Trust, and contributed a chapter on ‘The Physical Setting of Worship’ to Ken Sneath (ed) Religious Reformations in Huntingdonshire (2023).

This talk is open to everyone. Doors open at 7pm, the talk will start at 7:30pm, fully accessible venue. Admission by a suggested donation of £3 – note we can now take cardless payments.

You can watch the recording of the talk here or on our YouTube channel.