Chorley Old Road Methodist Church And Hall

BOLTON

SD61SE CHORLEY OLD ROAD 797-1/1/63 (South West side) 14/06/94 Chorley Old Road Methodist Church and Hall

II

Methodist church and Sunday school. Sunday School (now a general purpose hall) dated 1892; the church, 1902. JC Topping, architect of church. Brick with stone dressings and slate roof. Both are designed in a free classical style, the church adopting a basilica plan with central domed hall with 4 axial wings. EXTERIOR: pedimented front range with single storey porch between 2 projecting pavilions. Coupled Tuscan pilasters each side of pediment, with wide Palladian window. Porch has outer entrances with paired panelled doors and central lunette window, all segmentally arched with splayed stone voussoirs. Pavilion blocks to either side also have paired panelled doors beneath segmentally arched canopies carried on angel corbels. Similar canopies over lunette windows in return elevations of pavilions. Arcaded windows below parapet, and small domed roof over each pavilion. Pedimented range is linked to gabled wings to either side of central domed hall by 2 storey canted angles with arcaded windows below the eaves. These side gables each have stepped segmentally arched windows at upper level, and 5 window arcade below. Central dome formerly surmounted by lantern. Rear gable is blind, with canted apsidal end. Single storey corridor and subsidiary hall range added in 1928 links church with main hall. Stepped front with 2 bay centre block flanked by single bays of less height to each side. Paired round arched windows on each floor to central block, which has stone cornice and volutes linking to cornice of flanking bays, and segmentally arched doors in outer bays. Further flanking single storey pavilions with stone architraves to window and door which has scrolled pedimented head, on each side. Main hall beyond of 5 bays with wide segmentally arched windows at upper level, and corridor ranges at each side. INTERIOR: basilica plan to church with central dome with plasterwork ribs, and composite pilasters at angles of central space; Choir stalls flank the pulpit, all carved in renaissance style, and dated 1903. Organ to rear of choir stalls, added 1935. Some stained glass, including a series illustrating the beatitudes (possibly removed from elsewhere) and a window signed Barrowclough & Saunders of Lancaster 1906.

Listing NGR: SD6989110224