Buildings across Winslow opening doors as part of heritage open day

Keach’s Meeting House, the Brownie & Guide Hall and 28 High Street are all opening their doors between 2pm and 5pm.

Keach’s Meeting House, located on Bell Walk, is a small baptist chapel built in 1695, which has open-backed benches, box pews, a gallery, pulpit, communion table and memorial tablets.

The building is named after Benjamin Keach (a baptist preacher in the 1660s) and there will be information available about the history of the baptists in Winslow, including their struggles with the authorities in the 17th century.

The brownie and guide hall, located on Church Street, was originally built as a national girls school for the poor of Winslow and used from 1865 until 1901, when a new Winslow National School was built.

It then served as the church room, and has been owned by girlguiding since 1958.

The third building open on September 14 is 28 High Street (now the town council offices).

In 1886 the solicitor T.P. Willis bought from the Maydon family ‘a brick and tiled residence’ and combined it with his adjacent newly-built house, The Elms.

It was then turned into the offices from which he and his clerks managed the business of Winslow Rural District Council, the Board of Guardians and the Winslow New Gas Company.

Later in the day, there is a Winslow history walk starting outside Keach’s Meeting House at 5pm.

The route will be around the town centre and the walk will be led by local historian Dr David Noy.

There is no booking required and if you cannot make it on September 14 the walk is repeated on Thursday September 19 at 10am.