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The Chapel of Unrest

The Congregation of Agitation

THE CHAPEL OF UNREST IS A POWERFUL COLLECTIVE, WITH MEMBERS ALL OVER THE WORLD. SCROLL DOWN TO LEARN MORE.

THE CONGREGATION OF AGITATION

Join us, become a member of the congregation!

The Chapel of Unrest is a simple steel structure, set in the unnatural beauty of Rockaway Park, just south of Bristol, U.K. We erected the original building with the intention of holding film and spoken word events, craft and art markets, yoga classes and the occasional wedding.

A few years ago the local authorities decided that we needed to pay "business rates" on the building as in their opinion it was an industrial unit. I replied that it had only ever (at that point) been used for a wedding, and so, in my opinion, it was a Church and as such, was exempt. from "business rates"

A church.. a monument.. a movement..

They returned a few days later, and said "You can't have a church without a "recognised" religion.

A quick glance at google suggested that in order to be a "recognised" religion you had to have 60,000 followers (this isn't at all true by the way, but suited me) I immediately thought, ok then.. " if i get 60,000 people to join this new "religion" and pay £10 each to join, or £20 with a t-shirt option, we will then have somewhere between £600,000 and £1.2 million".

"That ought to be enough to build a church.. a monument.. a movement.. that stands for the disenfranchised, the visionaries, the dreamers and misfits"... For Us

Let's build

Would those who say it can't be done, please stand clear of those doing it.

Time to build the church …

The congregation is growing ...

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Join us, become a Member

Become a member

You can become a member by chosing one of the seven options below. Note: all payments are securly processed via the Rockawaypark SumUp store..

A place from which we can improve life for people everywhere, because we're capable of so much more than ‘this’.

  • Membership option 1

    Option 1

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    Chapel of Unrest Membership

    £10.00

    This membership includes an ethically handprinted membership card, a patch and a badge. If you're buying this membership as a gift for someone, please let us know their name. We'll also need an email address if you want them to receive updates about the Chapel in the future.

    Full Details + Buy Membership

  • Membership option 2

    Option 2

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    Membership plus TShirt

    Price £20

    It's £20 for this t-shirt membership with a design by Nicky Rat and Simon at Carry on Screening (C.O.S), and was produced by hand and not in photoshop! Available in black with white print, or white mist, red and army green with a black print. Various sizes available.

    Full Details + Buy Membership

  • Membership option 3

    Option 3

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    Membership & Hoodie

    Price: £50

    By buying this hoodie you can become a member of "The Congregation of Agitation". It's £50 for this hoodie membership with a design by Nicky Rat and Simon at Carry on Screening. As always, our hoodies are produced using Earth Positive 100% Organic Combed Cotton, Fairwear certified.

    Full Details + Buy Membership

  • Membership option 4

    Option 4

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    Membership & A3 Back Patch

    £20.00

    Buy this back patch and become a member of The Congregation. This membership option includes an A3 back patch with a design by Nicky Rat and Si at Carry on Screening. Produced by hand, on heavy duty cotton drill, the patch has been created using Permaset water-based inks.

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  • Membership option 5

    Option 5

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    Membership & Printed Poster

    £20.00

    "The Congregation of Agitation". This membership option includes a poster designed by Nicky Rat and Si at Carry on Screening. Printed on 270 gsm black card with off-white, Permaset water-based inks, your poster will also have your personal membership number added by hand.

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  • Membership option 6

    Option 6

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    Limited Edition Chapel of Unrest Mug (Members Only)

    £15.00

    This beautiful china Chapel of Unrest mug has been printed at the potteries of Stoke on Trent and painted by Bev Milward, our resident procelain ceramic artist.

    Full Details

  • Membership option 7

    Option 7

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    Chapel of Unrest membership & limited edition mug

    £25.00

    This beautiful china Chapel of Unrest mug has been printed at the potteries of Stoke on Trent and painted by Bev Milward, our resident porcelain ceramic artist.

    Full Details + Buy Membership

A little bit of history

A congregation of like-minded people who want to see positive change in the world

So simply put, We get 60,000 people to join, they pay £10 each, and in return they get a hand-printed membership card, a patch and lapel badge.

We then take that money and spend it on amazing craftspeople and builders and we create a beautiful monument to "Our" people... and to the things that we care about, and in particular to the now threatened act of Protest. Our culture is under attack from our leaders, in their pursuit of greed, and it really doesn't have to be like this

We build a congregation of like-minded people who want to see positive change in the world, and we work together to support and encourage 'alternative' thought. Each new member brings more connection and skills to the party. It is as much as anything, to show that if we work together we can achieve great things with very little.

Become a Member

We are much more powerful than we think

We are much more powerful than we think, and we are usually ahead of the game when it comes to what the world needs.

And for avoidance of doubt we are not aligned with any other religion, or belief, or madcap theory about anything else. We are only interested in doing good things with the help of good people.. I see this eventually growing much bigger than the original goal and have many more ideas that i'd like to explore.

I feel that it could become a great way for sharing, exploring and funding many other projects in the future...

There will be a lot more to come, but for now we are only concerned with building the focal point... The Chapel of Unrest. Please feel free to join in and give us a hand. Mark.

The Chapel of Unrest @ Glastonbury 2024

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Chapel Gallery: take a look at the progress so far ...

Altar
Exterior
Wood Carved Altar
Sculpture
Curtains
Exterior shot of chapel
Altar decorated with flowers
Mark standing in the empty chapel
Chapel of Unrest Tshirt
Night time exterior shot
Early evening event
Chapel of Unrest logo/signage
Wide exterior shot of the chapel
Exterior shot of chapel

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Positive Futures magazine

Mark has also been interviewed by Ed Gold, photographer, podcaster and creator of Positive Futures - an online magazine with beautiful photographs and interviews that focus on alternative ways of living all over the world.

Play full interview

Positive Futures magazine - play preview.

Mark Wilson on ITV Westcountry

Watch Video

The Chapel of Unrest throughout 2023

This short video encapsulates the story of Rockaway Park's Chapel of Unrest in 2023 - from the many wonderful people who joined the Congregation of Agitation, to the fantastic craftspeople who worked on different aspects of the design and construction, helping to manifest a vision of hope!

Watch Video

Exterior shot of chapel

How the Chapel of Unrest is used

I like to think that the Chapel of Unrest isn't just a building but more a statement... or something like that. But of course it is, and is becoming more so, a functioning space with a variety of uses.

The Alter

In time we will develop

Though by no means do we want it to just become a commercial venue (that would be the easy route), but we do however use the space for occasional events.

In time we will develop this and it will become easily multi-functional, hopefully with the aid of ridiculously complicated levers and sleight of hand trickery, turning it from one space into another with the twist of a handle...

Tables appear and disappear, screens pull out of hidden slots and curtains rise up to black it all out, as the seating mysteriously appears. This is the sort of work we are funding, to create magic and wonder and showing off each others skills and talents. Celebrating 'our' people.

Logo on cloth

Building and forming a network

In the meantime we have had a few weddings, occasional film screenings, a regular monthly market, done a few photo shoots and we are open to any other suggestions.

The building itself is the focal point of the COU but is not where the story ends. We are also building and fomenting a network of creative and great minds and celebrating the radical thinkers, outsiders and misfits who have been proven over and over again to have been on the right side of history.

Fundraising & direct action

Your generosity has raised an incredible £3332 for PAL action, a cause which needs support now more than ever.

This was the Chapel of Unrest's first act of activism, and it's all about what we set out to do. Coming together as a community to support good causes that might not get mainstream attention but that match our ethos.

Both Carry On Screening and The Chapel of Unrest donate their time for free. Every bit of support counts, and we can't wait to have you join the congregation of agitation.

We have 20 spare printed shirts in black at Rockaway, in random sizes, so swing by and grab one, the amount these will take is included in the total.

Thanks again for making a difference!

Rockaway Park
At the core of our community, based in this disused quarry, is a belief that collaboration and collectivism - sharing work, vision and ideas - are how all great creations take hold and manifest.

Visiting Rockway Park?

The Chapel of Unrest is based at Rockaway Park, near Bristol

We believe that if we are to make a difference in our world it really is down to each of us to make a personal effort! So, please car share or take public transport to visit us wherever you can. ​We don't have specific opening times, but we're generally available for visits during normal working hours from Monday - Friday and most weekends. Please check our calendar for all upcoming events. Well behaved dogs on leads are also welcome! ​The Rockaway yard where we hold our events is wheelchair accessible and there are disabled parking spaces available near the yard entrance.

Watch film Directions

The Chapel of Unrest Instagram feed

Follow us on Instagram

Watch the Chapel's progress throughout 2023

Spread the Word!

Spread the Word!

Want to help spread the word of the Chapel?

Download and print out the PDF leaflet and give out to people so we can increase the amount of people who know about the good work

Download PDF (353 KB)

Visiting the Chapel of Unrest? It's located at Rockaway Park.