History & About us
With stunning historic buildings and world class attractions Bristol offers an unrivaled choice for meetings, conferences and corporate events. Read more about the city, our conference centre and college and one of Bristol’s most famous people - John Wesley - below.
Bristol
Set around an historic harbour, Bristol is a bustling, commercial and creative city. In recent years, it has enjoyed an impressive renaissance, finding its heart and soul as never before. Bristol is lively and dynamic, cosmopolitan and ambitious. Its cityscape is a fusion of elegant Georgian and Victorian architecture and stunning modern buildings and developments.
Bristol boasts a mix of award-winning and internationally-acclaimed cultural institutions, world-class events and festivals and enticing shops and markets, and is successful as both a leisure and business destination.
New developments such as the opening of Cabot Circus, the city's new £500 million shopping and leisure quarter, and the final phases of the impressive harbourside development, spell exciting times ahead for the city.
Wesley Conference Centre
Wesley Conference Centre Limited provides conference, catering and hotel facilities at Wesley College, Bristol. Within 5 minutes drive of the M5 close to the M4 M5 interchange. Set within extensive grounds, surrounded by attractive protected ancient woodland and enjoying scenic views over the city, Wesley Conference Centre is the ideal site for your conference. The centre has facilities for day and residential conferences, with rooms for large and small groups. We offer excellent catering, plenty of parking and a service tailored to meet your individual needs. Full disabled access and facilities are available. Our aim is to exceed your expectations in a relaxed, comfortable, friendly and professional environment. Whether your stay is for business, education or for pleasure, you will find that we adopt an individual approach to providing you with the facilities and professional service you desire that is tailored to your individual needs and budget.
College
Established over a century ago for the training of Methodist Ministers, Wesley College is, in its present form, still at the forefront of training for the Christian Ministry. The largest regional provider of theological education for the Methodist Church, Wesley College offers opportunities for Foundation Training and Ministerial Training for Methodist Presbyters and Deacons, as well as for a variety of lay ministries. With its ecumenical staff and student body, Wesley College is also and important ecumenical provider of theological education for the wider Church and region, committed to excellence in all that we do.
Combining it's rich heritage with cutting edge educational opportunities, Wesley College is an affiliated College of the University of Bristol. We offer students from the UK and from the international community first rate opportunities to obtain a broad based theological education ranging from entry level qualifications to post-graduate degrees with the very best of teaching. A wide range og specialist tutors, including research tutors of international standing, supplement the core staff. The college offers one of the best specialist theological libraries in the South West of England and its unique archives attract world class scholars to the College. In short, Wesley College offers something for everyone. Whether you are pursuing an approved training course for Ministry, or returning to education simply out of interest, Wesley College offers an excellent learning environment for both full-time and part-time residential and non-residential students.
Set within it's own extensive grounds, surrounded by attractive woodland and with its own purpose build accommodation, Wesley College is also the ideal site for day or residential conferences, or simply for those who wish to come for a short stay or study leave.
John Wesley
Wesley preached the first of his open-air sermons at Whitefield's invitation in Bristol in 1739. As an Oxford don and an ordained Church of England minister, Wesley had a reverence for the 'proper' places of worship and was uneasy about preaching in the open air.
But since many working class people often felt excluded from the churches, 'field preaching' became a key feature of the Methodist Revival. More and more preachers were trained, and either travelled around like Wesley, or remained 'local preachers'.
Wesley went on to spend his life travelling the country, preaching to crowds on village greens, at pitheads, wherever he could find people to listen. During his lifetime he travelled an estimated 250,000 miles and preached 40,000 times.
His sermons appealed to people's hearts and minds, and were experienced as deeply personal messages by those who listened. They reached many who felt alienated from the Church because of their emphasis on God's freely-given forgiveness and love for all.
Wesley's published Sermons became and remain the doctrinal standard of the Methodist Church.