Emmanuel Episcopal Church is located in the Solar Hill Historic District in Bristol, Virginia.
It was designed according to the same plan as a 13th century church at Sulgrave Manor in Northampton, England, an ancestral home of George Washington. Emmanuel was stablished Jan. 26, 1862 in Goodson (later known as Bristol) by 16 determined men and women, only nine of whom were communicants. In 1919 a lot on the corner of James and Cumberland streets was purchased. Plans were approved for a church of native gray limestone in the Gothic style, modeled after the 13th century Church of St. James the Less in Sulgrave, England.
The building has been modernized over the years, enriching its beauty and usefulness. It provides space for many community outreach programs in which members participate. 35 rectors have served Emmanuel.
