In 1871 a site was purchased in Bushy park for £210 and by June the following year the School Chapel was opened with great rejoicing, with seating accommodation for 328, and at a cost of £700.
In August 1874 the foundation of the new Church was laid, and on Tuesday, 23rd November 1875 the church was opened with a service and the dedicatory sermon was preached by the President of the Conference, the Rev. Gervase Smith.
An estimated 400 people sat down to the Public Tea which followed in the Schoolroom and the day of celebration was completed at an Evening Meeting, addressed by a number of ministers and laymen, at which the high spiritual tone was an earnest of the work which followed.
The official designation was Knowle Wesleyan Church, which was later changed to Knowle Methodist Chapel, Bushy Park, Totterdown, and more recently to Totterdown Methodist Church; but in the passage of years it has been referred to affectionately and simply as "Bushy".
Cruciform in design, the lofty and well-lit interior has a beauty and dignity which subsequent alterations and re-decoration have served to enhance. It is of interest that the font and collection plates are carved out of an oak beam which, during restoration, had been taken from Bristol Cathedral.
The Circuit Quarterly Meeting in March 1872 invited the Rev. John Philp to reside in Totterdown as a Supernumerary Minister. After spending 9 years in the West lndies and 3 in France, he returned to the home work in England and on his "retirement" in 1872 he devoted the last 25 years of his life to Totterdown, where he became affectionately known as "Father Philp".
In 1883 the vestry between the School and Church was erected, followed shortly afterwards by the Lecture Room. These were largely provided by the Sunday School and the Men's and Women's Bible Classes respectively.
An organ was installed in the gallery in 1878, and was replaced by the present splendid instrument in 1897 at a cost of £400. This was transferred, with the choir stalls, to the north transept in 1905.
With the expansion of the City towards Upper Knowle, the spiritual needs of the people of that area became the concern of the members of Bushy Park, and with the opening of the Church there in 1904, many members transferred to this new Society.
The community in which the Church stands has changed considerably since 1875 as we would expect. This history is one of responding to those changes, and of a sensitivity to the Spirit of God working through them. The future will be taken up with a continuing response to that same Spirit.
