Former Bristol church to be brought back to life after £475,000 sale

A former City Mission church in Bristol has found a new purpose after being sold by a local charity for £475,000.     

The historic church on Great George Street in St Jude’s provides 3,986 sq ft of space, with substantial interest shown for a variety of uses following an informal tender process.

It has been sold to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) - an evangelical, Pentecostal church, first started in Brazil - who plan to refurbish and breathe life back into the building.     

But the UCKG has received criticism, with a BBC Panorama investigation in December last year finding the church tells its congregations it can help with mental health conditions by casting out evil spirits.

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Roxi Foster, director at Lambert Smith Hampton who handled the sale, said: “It is not often we see freehold sites this close to the city centre with suitability for such a variety of uses, this one proved very popular and interest levels were much higher than expected. 

“We are happy to have secured the sale to another charity church who will not only bring the building back into repair, but will also offer a number of facilities to the local community.”

Having been in operation since the 1950s, the Great George Street church has served as a vital hub within the local community, extending aid through clothes and food distribution to those who needed it.