Former Christian Association and Literary Institute

Former Christian Association and Literary Institute

This building was constructed in 1871 as a Christian Association and Literary Institute. It is built in rich red brick laid in English bond with dressings in red brick, vitrified brick and limestone.

The building has a narrow frontage facing south-east onto Spring Gardens and a long rectangular plan, with rear extensions added in the second half of the 20th century. The rear 20th-century single-storey brick extensions are of standard construction with flat roofs and are not included in the listing.

The exterior is executed in a flamboyant Venetian Gothic style with two storeys and an irregular three-bay facade. The floors are demarcated by a mixture of stone bands, brick cogging, and rows of sunken brick panels or square panels of vitrified brick which give the impression of coffering. The building has a pitched roof across the frontage with fleur-de-lis ridge tiles and a parapet at the north-east gable. The roof running at right angles along the rear is plain, although the eaves on the side and front elevations are embellished with brick machicolations.

The first bay takes the form of a three-stage square tower with an elaborate entrance on the ground floor. The double-leaf six-panel door has chamfered edges to the panels and is positioned under a kneelered stone gable with stone coping and a fleur-de-lis finial. The gable has a carved floral design in the gable head and waterleaf enrichment along the bottom. Set within the gable is a pointed arch resting on stone columns with Corinthian capitals and annulets. The recessed tympanum of the arch contains a circular date stone with the date 1871 surrounded by foliate carving; the bottom edge is carved in a delicate chevron. The second and third stages of the tower have a recessed central panel. The second stage is lit by a four-pane window with wooden glazing bars set under a semicircular brick arch of rubbed red brick with a pointed arch of vitrified brick above. The third stage of the tower contains a blind oculus with a double circular surround of brick headers.

The second bay is lit on the ground floor by a tall window (not original) with a cambered top and gauged brick arch, under a band of vitrified brick which continues across the third bay. The first floor is lit by a semicircular arch window under a pointed arch of vitrified brick which also continues across the third bay to form the window arches. The third gabled bay has tripartite windows on both floors in a slightly different design. Both have two mullions in the shape of stone columns like those flanking the front door, but the ground floor windows have cambered upper sections whilst those on the first floor have pointed arches. The kneelered gable head is pierced by a blind oculus. It appears to have been originally surmounted by a finial but this has been removed.

The left return, facing south-west, is divided into five bays by brick piers. On the ground floor the window in the first bay has been bricked up and a small horizontal window inserted in the 20th century. The second bay was originally bricked up and the next two bays are lit by one-over-one pane horned sashes with cambered upper sections. The first floor is lit by four-light windows with semicircular upper sections, except for the third bay which is blind. Above all the windows are vitrified brick arches which continue across the elevation. The fifth bay consists of the tower which has the same treatment as on the front elevation, except the ground floor is lit by a semicircular arch window.

On the right, north-east return, the gable end forms the first two bays which are divided by brick piers and lit by four-pane windows with semicircular overlights under gauged brick arches. The position of the internal staircase is articulated by a diagonal line of stepped brick. Following this the elevation becomes plain in detail and is faced in inferior brick, probably because it would not have been visible when first built due to the close position of an adjacent building, since demolished. It is divided into three bays by brick piers and lit by a combination of sash windows with cambered upper sections and fixed light semicircular arch windows.

The interior retains numerous historic features including skirting boards, dado rails, picture rails, cornices and four-panel doors with chamfered edges to the panels. The small entrance lobby has a geometric tiled floor and leads into the entrance hall which provides access to the ground floor rooms and the staircase to the first floor. The closed well, quarter turn stair has a balustrade on the lower end with two balusters per tread that extend below the tread ends. The handrail twists at the end and is supported by a circular newel post with numerous annulets.

The first floor is one open space which presumably was the lecture hall. The high ceiling has a coved cornice and three intricately patterned ceiling roses where gas lights would previously have hung. The moulded window frames have recessed panels. The ground floor presumably contained the reading room, classroom and library but there are no surviving fixtures to indicate their former usage. The room in the south-east corner has been partitioned to create WCs but retains its cornice and two ceiling beams supported by pairs of shaped brackets.