Parish Church Memorial Hall and front railings and gatepiers

TQ 4090 NW 937/12/10020 .

WOODFORD HIGH ROAD Parish Church Memorial Hall

GV II Includes: Front railings and Gatepiers. Memorial hall. 1902 by J. Kingwell Cole and Kenneth Wood for Sir John Roberts. Red brick with half timbering; machine tile roofs. Basilican plan.

EXTERIOR: rectangular block with aisles projecting to front (east) and terminating in low service rooms at right angles. Central recessed entrance under gabled roof with applied timberwork to gable and inscribed: PARISH CHURCH/MEMORIAL HALL 1902.

Two pairs of double timber doors set behind a segmental arch, panelled and with glazed panels. Flanking entrance right and left are single storey flat-roofed service rooms extended to front c.1960 and fitted with three-light casements to east. Plaque on north extension records residence of William Morris on site; foundation stope on south extension records construction of hall. Behind are half-timbered gable ends of the aisles. Main vessel with advanced timber framed gable end containing one canted oriel window fitted with five leaded casements. Side elevations consist of aisles with five bays of three-light casements, each separated by a stepped buttress. West bay of south aisle fitted with double half-glazed doors. Clerestory of 53-light timber casements under segmental arches and separated by pilasters cased in steel. Gabled main roof with a central octagonal fleche with a lead spike with expanded base above ventilation louvres.

INTERIOR: Five bay arcades of steel posts clad with timber supporting flat entablatures on solid arched braces with panelling. Moulded cornice. Roof with arched braces dropping to wall posts and corbels. Two tiers of butt purlins. Boarded ceiling. Boarded aisle roofs.

Proscenium arch at west end with roll-moulded surround. East end with two pairs of double panelled doors leading to entrance lobby. East end also with two galleries: a small lower gallery and a canted gallery in front of the oriel window, both with a stick balustrade. Lobby with one four-centred arched doorway north and south into service rooms. 1902 cast-iron radiators set in recesses in aisle walls. Two gas lamps attached to main arcade piers to north and south.

FRONT RAILINGS: central pair of red brick gate piers banded with stone and with moulded bases and caps. Double wrought-iron gates with swept top rails, plain lock rails and square-section verticals with arrow-head finials. Similar railings extend north and south (but with alternating spear-head and obelisk finials to verticals), returning to meet memorial hall. At each corner is a cast iron lamp standard converted from gas to electricity.

Listing NGR: TQ4002290757