Wesley'S Chapel

Wesley's Chapel

Methodist chapel, known as 'The Mother Church of World Methodism'. Built 1777–1778, with the portico added 1814–1815. Further alterations were made in 1891 by Elijah Hoole, who added rusticated piers, qoins, cornice to the outer bays, and stone architraves to the upper windows. Single-storey wings were added to either side, probably in 1899 also by Hoole.

The exterior is constructed of brown brick laid in Flemish bond with dressings of yellow brick and stone. The portico is of stone, and the roof is hipped with Welsh slate. The building is two storeys with a five-window range. The main facade features a central prostyle portico with coupled Greek Doric columns to either side, entablature with triglyph frieze and paterae modelled with the dove of peace, and a modified pediment to the blocking course. The main facade is articulated by a slightly projecting centrepiece of three bays with broad rusticated piers to the ground floor and chamfered quoins above, and by rusticated piers to the outside of the outer bays. Round-arched windows feature on both floors; those to the ground floor have gauged brick heads and are set in recessed, round-arched panels also with gauged brick heads, with a brick storey band above. Upper windows are round-arched with stone architraves and panelled aprons. A stone cornice runs across, fluted over the centrepiece, with a panelled parapet with stepped coping and hipped roof. Each side wing has a flat-arched entrance with architrave and cornice on consoles, double panelled doors, stone panel above, string course, cornice and parapet. The side walls and east end are of brown brick, while the apse is of stone.

Internally, the chapel was originally a single space, though the westernmost bay was glazed off around 1975. A shallow curved apse is flanked by Corinthian columns, with the round arch featuring a panelled and ornamented soffit and floral decoration to the spandrels. The reredos consists of three panels with fluted engaged columns and pilasters, and a central open pediment. A gallery runs on three sides, curved at the west end and carried on Roman Doric columns of jasper dating from 1899, with triglyph frieze and paterae modelled with the dove of peace and Greek key pattern to the gallery. Some of the original wooden columns are ranged along the west wall. The flat ceiling is enriched with decorative plasterwork, a replica of the original destroyed by fire in 1879, featuring a central circular panel surrounded by rectangular panels decorated with anthemion and acanthus ornament and Vitruvian scrolls. A fine mahogany panelled pulpit sits on an arcaded base with engaged and fluted columns at the corners; the pulpit forms the top stage of the original three-decker. Oak pews throughout feature openwork roundels in the pew ends, dating from 1899.

The chapel contains much 19th and 20th-century stained glass. Notable windows include the second window from the east in the south wall by Frank O. Salisbury (1930); two windows flanking the west door, 'Sir Galahad' and 'Elijah on Mount Carmel', also by Frank O. Salisbury (1932 and 1934 respectively); 'Saint John' at the east end of the north gallery by Henry Holiday (1900); and two gallery windows in the north wall: 'The Wesleys' conversion' by James Powell and Sons (1924) and 'John Wesley preaching' by Osborne and Philips (1947).

The Founder's Chapel, dated 1899 and much restored, is a single space with panelled dado, architraves to doors and windows, coved and panelled ceiling with central lantern, arched alcove to the north, and a chimneypiece with Art Nouveau detail, possibly inserted.