Flexbury Park Methodist Church

The Flexbury Park Methodist Church, located in Bude-Stratton, was built in 1905 and designed by the local builder, John Pethick. The church is constructed of roughly-squared stone with contrasting freestone dressings and a slate roof. It is an ambitious and eccentric example of free Gothic style.

The main rectangular church has gable ends and a grandiose west front featuring a narthex and angle corner towers. The north tower was designed to accommodate a stair to the gallery, while the south tower includes a clock, belfry, and spire. A two-bay recess is situated at the east end of the church, with east end transepts gabled to the north and south, containing meeting and schoolrooms.

The west front features a narthex under a lean-to roof, with a central bay buttressed and topped with a coped gable. Five lancet windows with a continuous hoodmould are present in the narthex, with three rectangular windows above, also with a continuous hoodmould. Further above are three large lancets with a continuous hoodmould. The curious angle towers are set back with buttresses and arched stone doorways. The south tower’s tall, shingled spire is in three stages, with moulded strings and pyramidal corner pinnacles. The second stage has single lancets on the sides, and a circular clock within a moulded frame. Belfry openings are paired lancets. The north tower is a truncated version of the south tower, gabled to the north-west and south-east, with a pyramidal pinnacle to the north-west gable. The north and south sides of the church, each with six bays, are buttressed and feature rectangular windows with segmental heads and large lancet windows above. Triple lancets are present on the gable ends of the east projections, along with pyramidal pinnacles. Ventilator pots are located on the gabled projections of the church roof.

The interior features a good arch-braced roof. Contemporary pitch pine seating was constructed from timber washed ashore from a wreck. A contemporary pulpit, also designed by John Pethick, is present. Although not strictly architecturally literate, the design is extremely ambitious. Plans for a west gallery were not executed.