Wath Methodist Church, High and Low Bishopside, North Yorkshire

Summary

Methodist Church, built as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in 1859-1860.

Description

Methodist Church, built as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in 1859-1860.

MATERIALS: squared, evenly coursed limestone; Welsh slate roof with a stone ridge and hips; cast iron rainwater goods.

PLAN: a single cell, shaped as an irregular pentagon. The party wall with the attached terrace to the north forms the rear wall of the interior. The pews and the balcony are orientated in a straight line along this rear wall, with the pulpit occupying the opposite, southern-most corner. The entrance is adjacent to the south-eastern corner, close to the stairs up to the balcony. This entrance is accessed via a path along the eastern side of the chapel which continues onwards, giving access to the rear of the terrace to the north.

EXTERIOR: a simply detailed exterior with a tall, high-set, round arched window placed roughly central to each of the four external faces of the building. The window joinery is of simple Georgian style with glazing bars and plain glazing. The entrance doorway is also round arched and has a simple date stone set above the slightly projecting keystone, the date stone being inscribed WESLEYAN/ CHAPEL/ 1859. Set above this is an octagonal stone forming a clock face inscribed with roman numerals. The roof is hipped, adjoining that of the attached terrace.

INTERIOR: simply detailed with timber boarded walls and ceiling. The balcony cuts across a window to either side internally, that to the east lighting the staircase, that to the west providing good lighting to both above and below the balcony. The balcony is raked and has three rows of fitted benches, the rear-most, at the head of the stairs, being a pew, enclosed with a low door and provided with a book rest, this being interpreted as a musicians' pew. The balcony front is straight and has a dentilated cornice and simply moulded plinth, being supported by two timber pillars in the form of simple Tuscan columns. Below there are three rows of benches set behind the pillars with built-in cupboards beneath the staircase. The pulpit is raised up by four steps, providing perfect sight-lines to all seating, being a modest timber-panelled enclosure with a half door, incorporating simple bench seat and a book rest. The stair has stick balusters with a turned newel.

SUBSIDIARIES: the access path is stone flagged and enclosed with iron hooped railings and gate. A simple boot-scraper is built into the fence line opposite the entrance door.

History

Wath Methodist Church was built as a Wesleyan Methodist chapel between 1859-1860 on a small plot of land at the end of a terrace of cottages, its unusual five-sided shape taking up the full extent of the plot; with a footprint of less than 27 metres square, it nonetheless can seat over 100 worshipers. It was built, and probably designed by Messrs Thorpe, a building firm from Pateley Bridge. It is thought that the internal joinery was probably undertaken by one or two of the congregation who were joiners by trade. The first service was held on 6 May 1860, although it was not formally registered as a place of worship until 28 January 1861. Various renovations were carried out in 1907 and between 1948-1949, although the chapel is considered to be essentially as built and fitted out between 1859-1860.

Reasons for Listing

Wath Methodist Church, a rural Wesleyan chapel built in 1859-1860, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for its vernacular detailing and the clever design, making efficient use of a small, irregular plot;
* for the good survival of its interior.

Historic interest:

* for its honest architectural modesty, illustrating the contrast between conservative tradition in rural Yorkshire with the more showy mid-Victorian chapels found in urban areas.

External Links

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