33 London Street

Scientific and mechanics’ institution, completed in 1843 to designs by William Brown. The building was converted to a Primitive Methodist Chapel in 1866, to a cinema in the 1940s or 1950s, to offices by the late C20, and has been in use as a hotel and public house since the early C21.

MATERIALS: the building’s principal (west) elevation is faced in a cream-coloured stone, possibly Bath Stone, with a granite base. The flank walls and rear (east) elevation are of red brick laid in English bond. The roof is covered in slate.

PLAN: long, rectangular plan of three storeys plus basement, running east from London Street. On the two upper floors, the plan is split into two ranges: a shorter front range to the west and a longer rear range to the east, joined by a narrower section containing a vestibule, with a curved south elevation.

EXTERIOR: the principal elevation is designed in a neoclassical style and replicates the design of a portico. Rising from a granite base are a pair of pilasters at either side of the elevation, and a pair of Ionic half-columns flank the central bay. Above the pilasters and columns is an entablature and triangular pediment. When first listed in 1957 the frieze was inscribed ‘Primitive Methodist Chapel 1866’ but this is no longer evident. The raised ground floor has banded rustication, with a string course of Greek key pattern immediately above at first-floor sill height. The main entrance sits at the centre of the raised ground floor and comprises a pair of ten-panelled doors reached via four stone steps from the street. Within the two outer bays are tripartite sash windows with a central, six-over-six sash flanked by narrow, two-over-two sashes, with rusticated stone mullions between. On the first and second floors, there are three timber-sash windows set within moulded architraves, those on the first floor with six-over-six glazing and those on the second floor with three-over-three glazing. The first-floor architraves to the two outer bays have cornices while the central architrave has a pediment on scroll brackets.

The north and south elevations are of exposed red brickwork with ranges of sash and casement windows on each floor, all seemingly of the C20. There is a two-storey projection placed centrally on the rear (east) elevation, with a timber casement window on the ground and first floors and a hipped roof above.

INTERIOR: it is understood that some historic fixtures and fittings survive.