Chynhale Methodist Church

Chynhale Methodist Church

Methodist chapel built in 1879. Designed by James Hicks of Redruth for William Bickford-Smith and built by W. Broad of Porthleven. The building is constructed of faced granite rubble brought to course with dressed granite architectural features and some Bath stone. Concrete tile roofs with coped gable ends and a rendered chimney rising over the north (ritual east) gable end.

The chapel has a rectangular aisless plan of four bays plus one bay, with a three-bay south front gable end serving as the ritual west end. Two porches project from either side: the main entrance porches extend from the third bay at the front on the west and east walls, while lower vestry porches with south doorways project from the organ bay at the rear. The design is in Early English style.

The south gable front has three bays with weathered buttresses flanking each bay, with corner buttresses clasping the angles. A tall plinth runs across the front. Each bay contains a pointed-arched window with slender hoodmoulds rising from impost strings. The central window is taller and wider than the two flanking windows, all with sills at the same level. The central window has three lancet lights with rose window tracery above, while each side window has two lancets with quatrefoil tracery above. All windows contain leaded lights. Memorial plaques are set beneath each window, the central one commemorating William Bickford-Smith, 1827–1899, who died at Trevarno. The Bickford-Smith family vault stands in front of the chapel.

The side elevations follow a similar style with plinths, buttresses between bays, machicolated cornices and two-light windows featuring pointed-arched lights and foiled plate tracery. The main entrance porches have central doorways to gable ends with nook shafts to the jambs and dog tooth decoration to the pointed arches. The rear porches have three-light windows similar to those on the front and doorways facing south with short nook shafts and stilted four-centred arches. All windows have leaded glazing.

The interior is very complete with original features and fittings intact. The roof structure spans four bays with arch-braced trusses. The lower braces are pierced with quatrefoils and meet a hammer beam, with each truss springing from a corbel. Rectangular plaster panels with torus moulding run between the trusses and purlins. The pointed window arches have hoodmoulds with carved label stops. A pointed chancel arch leading to the organ bay springs from detached shafts with an inner order.

Seating was supplied by John Berry for £85–11s–6d. Pitch pine benches are arranged in a semi-circular plan at the south end (ritual west), rising in tiers, with additional pews in the level floor area between. The pulpit, chairs and upholstery were supplied by Criddle and Smith. The pulpit is constructed of several woods and is rectangular on plan, cantilvered out at the front over a pointed arcade with Doric columns. The pulpit front and sides are finished with a blind pointed arcade with Ionic capitals and cinquefoils within the arches, with tympana carved in deep relief. A stair rises at the left-hand side.

The organ was presented to the trustees in June 1880 by Annie Bickford-Smith, Margaret Elizabeth Bickford-Smith and Emily Venning Bickford-Smith, who died at Camborne on 22 December 1868 (inscribed above the keyboard).