Bloomsbury Chapel opened on 5 December 1848, the first Baptist chapel to stand proudly on a London street, visibly an "ecclesiastical edifice". Because of earlier restrictions on non-Anglican churches, and for reasons of economy, meeting-houses had formerly been hidden down back alleys and in upper rooms, but as their civil rights and social standing improved, Victorian Baptists, along with other Free Churches, wanted to be seen. Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church is in an intriguing location. Walk in any direction and you are just a few minutes away from famous and fascinating places. North is the British Museum and the squares of Bloomsbury. South is theatreland, Covent Garden and the cinemas of Leicester Square. East is Holborn and Lincoln’s Inn. And to the west is Oxford Street, Soho and the West End