Methodist Free Church and Attached Sunday School and Gates

Methodist Free Church with attached Sunday School and gates

A Methodist Free Church dating from 1900, located on Albert Terrace in Lostwithiel. The building is constructed of snecked slatestone rubble with a snecked granite plinth and limestone dressings. The roof is slate with crested ridge tiles.

The main church building follows a single auditorium plan with a gable end facing the road. The front elevation is divided into three bays and sits on a plinth with initialled foundation stones. The central bay features limestone pilasters surmounted by corbelled shafts rising to pinnacles. Above this, a gable with a ball finial on a stem contains a limestone band course inscribed "Methodist Free Church" in upper case lettering. A paired round-headed light sits above the inscription with a hood mould. The main window is a large central 6-light design with round heads to the upper lights and round-headed sidelights, beneath an ogee hood carved with the date 1900 at its centre. Trefoil finials and shafts with ball finials flank this window.

A porch tower rises to the left of the front elevation, comprising three storeys with the top storey set back above a moulded string course and finished with a hipped roof with gablets. This tower contains a square-headed light at ground floor level, a round-headed light at first floor to the front and left side, and triple round-headed lights at second floor to the front and left side. A 6-panelled door with round-headed upper panels is situated on the left side, with a 3-pane round arched overlight above. Wrought iron gates enclose the entrance to this porch tower.

An identical porch tower to the right of the front elevation is of three storeys but features a lantern on top. The lantern is octagonal with scrolled corbel supports. Each side of the lantern contains a round-headed light, with alternate lights having a pediment over. An ogee octagonal lead roof with a weathervane crowns the structure. This tower likewise has windows and a door at ground, first and second floor levels, with wrought iron gates enclosing the entrance.

The left side of the auditorium is constructed of random rubble with brick dressings and comprises four bays. All windows feature mullion and transom designs with round-arched upper lights in brick surrounds with cambered heads at ground and first floor levels. A lean-to addition of 1½ storeys, rendered and attached to the rear left, contains a door and first floor window.

A connecting wing to the right leads to the Sunday School building. This wing has ground floor triple square-headed lights and a first floor with triple round-headed lights, the central light being taller. A two-storey tower with a hexagonal pitched roof and gablets is positioned here. The inner side of this tower at ground floor level contains a 6-panelled door with a triple round-headed overlight and a round-headed light above. Two sides of the tower facing front have a single square-headed light at ground floor and a single round-headed light at first floor.

The front gable end of the Sunday School hall faces to the right and displays two tall round-headed 2-light windows with round-headed lights and rounded tops. A coped gable above carries a limestone band course inscribed "Sunday School" in upper case lettering, with a single round-headed light positioned above the inscription. Pedestals with ogee caps and ball finials stand to each side of the gable.

The interior was not inspected.