Metropolitan Tabernacle

The Metropolitan Tabernacle is a Baptist church building in the London Borough of Southwark, its Greek Revival stone facade showing clear neoclassical symmetry. The interior opens into a large meeting hall with galleries, designed for evangelical worship and Bible study sessions.

The congregation formed in 1861 under preacher Charles Spurgeon, whose weekly sermons drew thousands and made him one of the most recognized religious figures in Victorian England. After severe bombing during World War II, a new structure rose in 1957, retaining the essential proportions of the original.

The meeting house takes its name from its most famous pastor, Charles Spurgeon, whose legacy continues to shape the reformed teaching and preaching style of the congregation. Visitors find a bookshop stocked with theological literature, reflecting its ongoing role as a center for biblical education.

Regular worship services take place several days a week, with translation facilities available for international visitors. The ground-floor bookshop opens at set hours and offers reformed Christian literature.

The original 1861 building's acoustic design allowed 6,000 people to hear every speaker clearly without any electronic amplification. This careful sound engineering arose from the hall's shape and gallery arrangement, which naturally amplified voices.